Bird man

My work today took me to the Tolson Museum at Huddersfield.

This is part of the famous Bird Room. The room was created by Seth L Mosley, the first curator of The museum. The room is currently closed to the public

His grandfather and father were both taxidermists. Seth lived at Beaumont Park for 35 years, with a specific room to display collections for visitors. He was a prolific writer and artist, active in societies and wrote for journals. His best known works, illustrated by hand, were 'Butterflies of Europe', 'British Birds, Nests and Eggs', and 'Birds of Huddersfield'.

He moved his collections to Huddersfield Technical College, where he was teacher and Curator. In 1920 he became first curator of Tolson Museum, creating the early displays, most notably his 'Bird Room'. Mosley is remembered as a "friendly, stocky man, dressed more like a tramp", rambling through countryside, "investigating nature".