Saturday 14th Feb. from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. at the Isabel Blackman Centre

An illustrated talk: Fashion, Fury and Feathers, Women’s Fight for Change and how the RSPB came to be, with Tessa Boase.

When Tessa Boase told the RSPB she wanted to write their early story, they refused to let her visit their archives. To a former investigative journalist, this was a challenge she could not resist… 
This talk shines a light on the hidden story of women’s love affair with plumage ­ – and of the brave eco feminists who fought back on behalf of the birds. Etta Lemon, Emily Williamson and Eliza Phillips campaigned long and hard to crush the mighty plumage trade. They coaxed the British people to fall in love with birds. Yet they have not been remembered by history. With meticulous research, rare archive images and vivid storytelling, Tessa has brought to life the RSPB’s extraordinary origins story.

Tessa is an author, journalist and social historian. She has featured on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and has appeared on Tony Robinson’s History of Britain and also Secrets of the National Trust. Tessa grew up in the Ashdown Forest, Sussex and now lives in St Leonards-on-Sea, with a pair of binoculars by the back door. Birds or neighbours, she’s not fussy!

To find out more about Tessa and her work, including her publications, visit https://www.tessaboase.com