Emily Williamson (1855-1936)

RSPB Commemorative Sculpture Competition 2021

Horrified by the fashion for feathered hats, Emily Williamson (née Bateson) launched a campaign to halt the plumage trade. She invited her friends to tea at her home in Didsbury, Manchester, and asked them to sign a pledge to wear no feathers. And so the Society for the Protection of Birds was born. The year was 1889.

​All of its members were women. © Text Copyright / The Emily Williamson Statue Campaign

Now, to honour her great achievements, the RSPB along with The Emily Williamson Statue Campaign, have launched a commemorative sculpture competition and are inviting artists to immortalise Williamson in bronze. The winning design will take pride of place at Fletcher Moss Park, Didsbury – Emily’s home, her garden and her inspiration.

Details of this competition which I am submitting to, can be seen below:

As an artist and a bird enthusiast, I have often featured birds in my cast and hand-built studio pottery work; from depicting pigeons in my Pigeon Series, to portraying medieval interpretations of birds on vases, and more recently creating a cobbled piece taking the form of a heron.

Below are pages from the PDF document I entered to the competition, depicting my ideas and then final design submission.