Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden
Encyclopedia
Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden (known locally as Fletcher Moss) is situated in Didsbury
, Manchester
, England
, between the River Mersey
and Stenner Woods.
The park is named after local Alderman
Fletcher Moss, who donated the park to the city of Manchester in 1919. It is part botanical garden and part wildlife habitat, but also offers recreational facilities such as tennis courts, rugby and football pitches and a cafe.
Fletcher Moss, born in July 1843, was a philanthropist who led many public works in Manchester; in 1915 he persuaded the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
to fund the construction of a public library in Didsbury. He lived in the Old Parsonage by St James's Church, Stenner Lane, having taken over residence from the vicar, a Rev W J Kidd, who left the property complaining it was haunted. In 1919 he gifted the gardens to the people of Manchester, declaring he had “determined to offer all that part of my property extending from the Fletcher Moss Playing Fields to Stenner Lane, to the corporation if I could retain the use of it for my life”.
Robert Williamson's old house, the Croft, was the location of the first meeting of the organisation later to become known as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
. In 1889, Emily Williamson nee Bateson (Robert’s wife) formed a group called the ‘Plummage League’ to protest against the breeding of birds for plumage to be used in women's hats, a highly fashionable practice at the time. The group gained popularity and eventually amalgamated with the ‘Fur and Feather League’ in Croydon, and formed the RSPB.
The main rock gardens are laid out on a south-facing slope and are sheltered from the elements, allowing a great number of non-hardy species to thrive in a micro-climate. Small waterfalls run down the rock gardens into a pond which is surrounded by royal fern
s, marsh marigolds, skunk cabbage
, Gunnera
("giant rhubarb") and irises. The gardens contain wide range of ornamental trees and shrubs, including Chusan palms, tulip trees, mulberry
, dawn redwood, swamp cypress
, Chinese dogwood, Adam's laburnum, common walnut, Oxydendrum arboreum, and various dwarf conifers.
To the west of the rock gardens, the gardens of the Old Parsonage lie on the other side of Stenner Lane. The entrance to the garden is marked by a striking neo-Norman stone arched gate which is topped with a sculpture of an eagle; this was originally a feature on the Spread Eagle Hotel on Corporation Street, Manchester, of which Fletcher Moss was proprietor. When the hotel was demolished in 1902, Moss took the eagle effigy and mounted it on his gate. The Parsonage gardens contain several large yew
and cedar of Lebanon trees; beneath one of the yew trees are the graves of several of Alderman Moss's beloved dogs and - reputedly - also the grave of his favourite horse. The Old Parsonage house was open to the public during the 1970s as an art gallery devoted to Manchester art, and the orchid houses were also a visitor attraction; both are now closed and lie empty.
, the national standard for parks and green spaces in England, since 2000.
and Stenner Woods, at the southern end of Wilmslow Road where the road curves sharply east at the Old Cock Inn, near Parrs Wood
. The Gardens can be easily reached by public transport as it lies on the Wilmslow Road bus corridor
and is close to East Didsbury railway station
.
Didsbury
Didsbury is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre, in the southern half of the Greater Manchester Urban Area...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, between the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
and Stenner Woods.
The park is named after local Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
Fletcher Moss, who donated the park to the city of Manchester in 1919. It is part botanical garden and part wildlife habitat, but also offers recreational facilities such as tennis courts, rugby and football pitches and a cafe.
History
The main part of the gardens is a walled rock garden which was laid out by the botanist Robert Wood Williamson on a south-facing slope. Williamson sold the gardens and rockery along with his house, called The Croft, to Alderman Fletcher Moss, in 1912.Fletcher Moss, born in July 1843, was a philanthropist who led many public works in Manchester; in 1915 he persuaded the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
to fund the construction of a public library in Didsbury. He lived in the Old Parsonage by St James's Church, Stenner Lane, having taken over residence from the vicar, a Rev W J Kidd, who left the property complaining it was haunted. In 1919 he gifted the gardens to the people of Manchester, declaring he had “determined to offer all that part of my property extending from the Fletcher Moss Playing Fields to Stenner Lane, to the corporation if I could retain the use of it for my life”.
Robert Williamson's old house, the Croft, was the location of the first meeting of the organisation later to become known as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
. In 1889, Emily Williamson nee Bateson (Robert’s wife) formed a group called the ‘Plummage League’ to protest against the breeding of birds for plumage to be used in women's hats, a highly fashionable practice at the time. The group gained popularity and eventually amalgamated with the ‘Fur and Feather League’ in Croydon, and formed the RSPB.
Layout
Royal fern
Osmunda regalis, the Old World Royal fern, is a species of Osmunda, native to Europe, Africa, and Asia, growing in woodland bogs. The species is sometimes known as flowering fern due to the appearance of its fertile fronds.-Description:...
s, marsh marigolds, skunk cabbage
Skunk Cabbage
Skunk Cabbage may refer to:* the genus Lysichiton* Asian Skunk Cabbage, Lysichiton camtschatcense, grows in eastern Asia* Eastern Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, grows in eastern North America...
, Gunnera
Gunnera
Gunnera is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants, some of them gigantic. The genus is the only member of the family Gunneraceae.The 40-50 species vary enormously in leaf size...
("giant rhubarb") and irises. The gardens contain wide range of ornamental trees and shrubs, including Chusan palms, tulip trees, mulberry
Mulberry
Morus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae. The 10–16 species of deciduous trees it contains are commonly known as Mulberries....
, dawn redwood, swamp cypress
Taxodium
Taxodium is a genus of one to three species of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae...
, Chinese dogwood, Adam's laburnum, common walnut, Oxydendrum arboreum, and various dwarf conifers.
To the west of the rock gardens, the gardens of the Old Parsonage lie on the other side of Stenner Lane. The entrance to the garden is marked by a striking neo-Norman stone arched gate which is topped with a sculpture of an eagle; this was originally a feature on the Spread Eagle Hotel on Corporation Street, Manchester, of which Fletcher Moss was proprietor. When the hotel was demolished in 1902, Moss took the eagle effigy and mounted it on his gate. The Parsonage gardens contain several large yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
and cedar of Lebanon trees; beneath one of the yew trees are the graves of several of Alderman Moss's beloved dogs and - reputedly - also the grave of his favourite horse. The Old Parsonage house was open to the public during the 1970s as an art gallery devoted to Manchester art, and the orchid houses were also a visitor attraction; both are now closed and lie empty.
Awards
Fletcher Moss has held the Green Flag AwardGreen Flag Award
The Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom. The scheme was set up in 1996 to recognise and reward green spaces in England and Wales that met the laid down high standards...
, the national standard for parks and green spaces in England, since 2000.
Location
Fletcher Moss Gardens are located close to the River MerseyRiver Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
and Stenner Woods, at the southern end of Wilmslow Road where the road curves sharply east at the Old Cock Inn, near Parrs Wood
Parrs Wood
Parrs Wood is an area of East Didsbury, in the southern part of the city of Manchester, England. It incorporates part of Wilmslow Road and is home to Parrs Wood High School and Sixth Form Centre, a Tesco supermarket, and Parrs Wood Entertainment Centre. Whilst there are some distinct features to...
. The Gardens can be easily reached by public transport as it lies on the Wilmslow Road bus corridor
Wilmslow Road bus corridor
The Wilmslow Road bus corridor is a 5.5-mile-long section of road in Manchester that carries a large number of bus services. The corridor runs from Parrs Wood to Manchester city centre along Wilmslow Road and Oxford Road, serving Didsbury, Withington, Fallowfield and Rusholme...
and is close to East Didsbury railway station
East Didsbury railway station
East Didsbury is a suburban railway station in the south of the city of Manchester, England.It stands on the Styal Line, between Longsight and Wilmslow...
.