On 17 February 1889, Eliza Phillips hosted the first meeting of the Fur, Fin and Feather Folk at her home in Vaughan House, Morland Road.  Early in 1891, they joined forces with the Society for the Protection of Birds, which was based in Manchester.  They kept this name, but it was the London ladies who moved things forward.  By 1893, they had almost 10,000 members. More information about the origins of the RSPB can be found in Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather by Teresa Boas, 2018, Aurum Press.

Vaughan House was demolished in 1967, so the Croydon branch of the RSPB has recently installed a plaque on the site near the entrance to Gordon Crescent, Morland Road.

More information https://insidecroydon.com/2025/03/07/birders-leave-a-sign-to-mark-life-of-rspb-founder-eliza-phillips/