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The Craythornes
James Craythorne (see below)
joined the Belle Vue staff in the 1880s when he was 12 he was hired to
work beside his father who was in charge of the reptile collection in
the Belle Vue Museum. The Craythorns were responsible for the
preservation of the skeleton of the famous elephant Marharaja (shown
below in the Belle Vue Museum and now in the Manchester Museum.)
James performed a number of
tasks in the zoo including working with the sealions and finally taking
responsibility for the Reptile House. When James retired in 1944
his son Albert took over from him. Below are a number of
photographs of the Craythorns over the years.
    The Craythornes with a komodo dragon     |