Famous Didsbury eco-pioneer and RSPB founder Emily Williamson to be honoured with new statue
A new festival dedicated to Emily Williamson at Manchester Art Gallery will examine her eco-campaigning legacy and give people the chance to vote for the final statue design
Known as the woman who saved a million birds, the famous Victorian Didsburyite Emily Williamson is widely considered to be one of the outstanding eco-pioneers of her day.
Now, she is set to be honoured with a new festival at Manchester Art Gallery – culminating in the announcement of the winning design of a statue for Emily.
Emily founded what would become the RSPB from her home in Didsbury’s Fletcher Moss Park in 1889 by inviting her friends to tea and asking them to sign a pledge to ‘Wear No Feathers’.
Statue design by Eve Shepherd / Image: Emily Williamson statue campaign
That one pledge ricocheted through the next century, spawning campaigns and movements that changed the face of UK conservation.
A statue of Emily in the grounds of her former home is one of the ways of giving her the recognition that she deserves and it’s hoped that her legacy will be used to inspire a new generation of nature activists.
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As COP26 looms and promises are made regarding action on climate change, the activist and RSPB founder’s campaigning legacy will be celebrated with a dedicated festival.
The event, which runs from. 12 to 14 November, will also showcase local stories of resistance, resilience and hope in the world of conservation today.
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The festival will welcome some of Manchester’s most dynamic change-makers, exploring the links between conservation, campaigning, science, and art at a pivotal moment for humanity.
Of the 24 speakers scheduled to appear, 23 will be women – shining a spotlight on some key female players in the conservation world.
Speakers confirmed so far include RSPB CEO Beccy Speight; the British Ornithologists’ Union President Juliet Vickery; campaigner and Springwatch presenter Megan McCubbin; and Emily Williamson’s descendent, bird scientist Professor Melissa Bateson.
The living link between Emily’s history and her eco-campaigning legacy will also be examined in a range of panel debates that will look at Victorian Manchester’s greenness and the city’s changing relationship with the natural world today; campaigning tactics across the centuries; the fashion industry vs environmentalists; and the link between nature and mental health.
The festival will culminate in the announcement of the winning design of a statue for Emily, which members of the public have been voting for in their thousands.
The maquettes (miniature statues) of the four shortlisted designs will be on display at Manchester Art Gallery from Saturday 30 October until Sunday 14 Novemberand with voting open until 12 pm on Sunday 14 November.
Statue design by Billie Bond / Image: Emily Williamson statue campaign
Festival founder, social historian and author Tessa Boase, who uncovered Emily’s story and photograph while researching her book on the RSPB’s origins, says:
“Emily Williamson understood the value, magnificence and significance of nature, especially birds. She stood firm and fought against the powerful worldwide ‘murderous millinery’ trade – and she won. This festival celebrates her achievement and remarkable legacy, showcasing some exceptional women fighting for nature here in Manchester today.”
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Emily Williamson founded the (R)SPB, now the UK’s largest conservation charity, in 1889. In 1891 she teamed up with two other eco pioneers to take it to the next level: Etta Lemon and Eliza Phillips of Croydon.
None of these women has been remembered by history.
As Tessa Boase explains:
“The first thing that struck me when I visited RSPB headquarters at The Lodge, Sandy, was the male portraits looming down all round the entrance hall.
“Where were the female founders? After unearthing their photographs, I commissioned these drawings from nature-lover and artist Clare Abbatt in the hope that, one day, they might hang in The Lodge and redress the gender balance.”
Emily’s story shows us that one voice can make a difference. With 15% of birds in Britain now facing extinction, her legacy is more crucial than ever.
The large drawings of Emily, Etta and Eliza will feature alongside the shortlisted designs of a statue for Emily Williamson. This will be the first time that the portraits have gone on public display.
Manchester Art Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. For further information on the Emily Williamson Festival and the Emily Williamson Statue Campaign visit the dedicated website here
Feature image – David Dixon via Commons Wikimedia / Wikipedia
News
30 years ago, the IRA detonated a 1,500kg lorry bomb on Corporation Street in the heart of Manchester – here’s the story
Georgina Pellant
Today marks three whole decades since an explosion from the inside of a lorry parked on Corporation Street shattered windows and destroyed buildings across the city centre.
Causing an evisceration that stretched for miles, when the 1,500 kilogram IRA bomb went off in 1996, it was the biggest detonation in Great Britain since the Second World War.
Following the explosion, the city fell silent – leaving rack, rubble and ruin in its wake. Famously, one red post box was left standing – today fitted with a memorial plaque in remembrance of the tragedy.
It seems scary to think that back then, most people could only stand there, watch on and worry.
The bomb caused an estimated £700 million worth of damage to Manchester’s infrastructure and economy, and over a quarter of a century later, locals still tell the stories of where they were when it went off – and of the devastation it left behind.
Notably, one resident of the Cromford Court maisonettes on top of the Arndale – a 77-year-old RAF veteran suffering from the flu – didn’t even bother to get up when the telephone warning to evacuate hit, considering himself to have survived much worse feats during his time in military service.
Having been a rear gunner in a Lancaster in the war, he reportedly told police and authorities “he was buggered if he was going to let a small bomb affect him.”
In subsequent years, Danny O’Neill has become a part of an urban legend surrounding the bomb as his staggering story has been told time and time again.
Around 90 minutes prior to the detonation, the Provisional Irish Republican Army had telephoned in warnings – meaning that around 75,000 people were able to be evacuated from the area before the bomb went off from the back of a van.
However, the bomb squad were unable to defuse it in time, leading to over 200 injuries from people still left in the area.
Thankfully, despite those injuries, there were no fatalities, and many of those reported traumas came from the shattering of thousands of windows and other damage to buildings in which unsuspecting people were getting on with their days.
Several buildings near the explosion were damaged beyond repair and had to be demolished, while many more were closed for months for structural repairs, and this prompted the biggest regeneration of Manchester city centre ever – something that is still continuing to this day, arguably at a more rapid rate than ever.
The city lay dormant for days after the explosion, as people came to terms with what had happened and kept their distance. Many moved out of the centre for a period of time, while many more simply decided not to visit for fear of another incident.
It was a desolate place, eerily quiet, and in need of some serious TLC.
According to Home Office statistics, an estimated 400 businesses within half a mile (0.8 km) of the 1996 blast were affected, 40% of which did not recover.
Credit: Manchester Libraries
Market Street – near the explosion and at that time the second-busiest shopping street in the UK – was considered by some a “fearful” place, and one that was to be “avoided like the plague”.
The prospect of pulling Manchester’s bustling city centre out of its darkest depression was not casually approached by those in charge.
It was acknowledged as a mammoth task from the get-go, but Greater Manchester has never let anything get in its way. Despite how steep the hill is that we’re standing at the base of, we always manage to reach the peak, ready to go again.
Manchester City Council green-light new venue at Medlock Square, with Mamma Mia! The Party to open the immersive space
Danny Jones
The smash-hit ‘Mamma Mia: The Party’ is set to land in Manchester next year as the maiden event of another brand-new space set to open as part of the upcoming Medlock Square development.
Etihad Campus has seen a lot of moving pieces over the past few years, be it the building of Co-op Live, the ongoing expansion of Man City’s home ground, the soon-to-launch hotel attached to the stadium and now Medlock.
But those in control of the land are content with stopping there; this looks to be just the start of a whole new evolution for the East Manchester area, with an as yet untitled new immersive arts, experience and events venue also set to join the new slate of projects.
You see another glimpse of the purpose-built mini arena, of sorts, down below.
With plans having now been approved by the City Council, the ‘immersive’ space will be situated between the Etihad, Co-op Live and Medlock Square itself, holding up to 600 guests per performance.
Currently set to open in late 2027, following the rest of the square’s launch window being fully rolled out, we still don’t know the name of this next addition, but the structure itself will dovetail with the surrounding buildings and areas as part of seasonal activations, live shows and sports screenings, as well as pop-ups, brand collaborations and more.
Looping back, the interactive, multimedia extravaganza that is ‘Mamma Mia! The Party’ will finally be making its Manc debut as part of the 10th anniversary of the all-singing, all-dancing and even all-dining in-demand production.
As per an official press release from the Medlock Square media team, the show will combine “live music, theatre, food and storytelling” and “offer visitors an unforgettable night out.”
The original UK production at The O2 in London has now surpassed more than 1,500 performances, with a total of 700k guests attending these shows in 110 countries across the globe. Safe to say it’s rather popular.
As for Medlock Square and the surrounding Etihad Campus, Manchester City supporters have also been given another look at the soon-to-open, immersive hotel tie-in experience.
With a skywalk, rooftop bar, a new MCFC shop and various other bits set to spill out onto Medlock Square, it all feels like a period of wholesale changes over in the blue half of the city – especially with the football club bidding farewell to their manager Pep Guardiola after more than a decade.
Following the new and improved North Stand being named after him in the first of many tributes, the City Football Group (CFG) are also set to commission a statue in his honour over the coming months.
Meanwhile, Medlock Square is also due to open later this year, although an official completion date has not been confirmed.
You can stay up to date with all the latest on Mamma Mia! The Part’s Manchester shows right HERE.
Not forgetting a brand-new women’s football facility, too, there is so much stuff going on over at the Etihad that it can be hard to keep track, but here’s the latest look at some of the rooms set to feature in the hotel of the same name.
Georgina Pellant -
21st October 2021 
