Fletcher Moss Park & Parsonage Gardens, Manchester
Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens is in Didsbury, Manchester, between the River Mersey and Stenner Woods. It is a free park, open to the public, and is part of the history of the RSPB.
The park was donated to the people of Manchester in 1919 by local philanthropist and Alderman Fletcher Moss. It boasts huge trees, arrangements of bright and beautiful flowers and walk-through paths that allow visitors to explore every corner.
There are also mini waterfalls, cherry blossom, huge palm trees and giant rhubarb floating in a pond. Birds and small mammals enticed into the park with a bird feeding area and a ‘Bug Hotel’. There are 92 acres to explore.
The main part of the gardens is a walled rock garden that was laid out by the botanist Robert Wood Williamson on a south-facing slope. The plants were collected by Robert and his wife Emily in the mountains of Europe.
The house known as the Croft in the park was the home for 30 years of Robert and Emily Williamson. Emily was the co-founder of the RSPB, and her early meetings were held here.
The Williamsons sold the gardens and rockery along with the house to Alderman Fletcher Moss in 1912.
A statue by Eve Shepherd of Emily Williamson is planned for the gardens in 2025.
Further reading
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