Who is George the Gorilla?

N-MESH (Nottingham Materials and Environment Science and Heritage) is a network of researchers, capabilities, and facilities from across the University of Nottingham, working together to offer innovative and interdisciplinary heritage science capacity and services for research, teaching and public engagement. 

‘George’ the Gorilla is a taxidermy specimen that has been in the collections of Nottingham City Museums and Galleries (NCMG) since the late nineteenth century and has become a much-loved part of the city’s cultural heritage. Museum staff were keen to draw on N-MESH expertise to enable them to tell an accurate story about George’s geographical origins and journey.

On July 11th 2024, an N-MESH team comprising experts from Archaeology, Ancient and Environmental DNA, Protein Biochemistry and Biological Photography visited the gorilla at Wollaton Hall to take samples and this film explains how the techniques of heritage science were used to uncover George's story.