 Basil Mott was born in Leicester on 16 September 1859.He was educated at the International School, Switzerland and at the Royal School of Mines where he won the Murchison medal in 1879.He was first employed as a mining engineer with the Neston Colliery Co. in Cheshire but in 1886 was invited by J H Greathead to join the staff of the City & South London Railway (C&SLR), for which Greathead was Engineer.