A new exhibition at Manchester Museum called Human Natures will feature the work of Emily Williamson, who lived at the Croft in Fletcher Moss Park from 1882-1912. She campaigned to protest against the widespread use of birds’ feathers in women’s hats, and eventually helped to found the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Next time you visit Fletcher Moss Park do look at the plaque on the house near the cafe that commemorates Emily Williamson. Also see if you can spot the swift bricks built into the walls of the Croft, just under the eaves. We are delighted that South Manchester Swifts Group (https://southmanchesterswifts.co.uk/) worked with the RSPB and Manchester City Council to install these hollow bricks in the Croft during the recent renovation of the building. Swifts like to nest high up, and close to each other, so these nesting cavities are a great way to encourage their breeding. Emily would have been pleased!
More information about the exhibition can be found here:
https://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/museummagazine/rspb?dm_i=7XO9,2NSPR,4EDD5B,61JYE,1,0,0,0