Interview with Philip Oswald (1933-2021)
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The interview was recorded on 2nd June 2015 with Philip, together with contributions from his wife, Janet (1933-2019), at their home in Cambridge.
Recorded by Tom and Gisèle Wall. At the time of the interview, Tom and Gisèle were working on books about Rostherne Mere which they self-published in 2019: Rostherne Mere. Aspects of a wetland nature reserve and Rostherne Mere. Birds of mere and margin. Tom was Warden of the NNR from 1976 to 1985.
Philip was appointed as the first Warden of the soon-to-be-declared Rostherne Mere NNR in Cheshire (he had a unique job title, ‘Warden-in-charge’, rather than ‘Warden Naturalist’, the usual title at that time). He took up the post in December 1960 when he moved with his family into Apple Tree Cottage in the village of Rostherne. They later moved to a purpose-built Warden’s house, named ‘Rowans’. Philip morphed from Warden to Assistant Regional Officer before moving to Shrewsbury in 1965 to work in the newly established Education Advisory Service of which he was to become the head.
At the time of the interview, Tom and Gisèle were working on books about Rostherne Mere which they self-published in 2019: Rostherne Mere. Aspects of a wetland nature reserve and Rostherne Mere. Birds of mere and margin. Tom was Warden of the NNR from 1976 to 1985.
The first Interview relates in particular to the negotiations leading to the acquisition of the NNR (it had been part of the Tatton Estate, owned by the bachelor Lord Egerton) and to the early years of its management. The wheeler-dealering which went on at the time now seems extraordinary.
Much of the interview is taken up with fairly parochial matters, but it is highly illustrative of the working practices of the Nature Conservancy at that time (very different from those of today), and refers to some of the leading lights of the organisation, notably Max Nicholson, Tom Pritchard, Nettie Bonnar, Teresa Sexton, Joyce Quarrinton and Jamie Johnstone, as well as big names from the wider science and conservation world including Francis Rose, David Bellamy, Arnold Boyd, Stuart Smith, Eric Hardy, F A Hunter, John Lund and Colin Reynolds.
The second interview centres on publicity and education, generally at places other than Rostherne Mere. It includes mention of a nature trail at Alvecote Pools SSSI, Warwickshire, said by Philip to be the first such trail and a publication he was involved with which listed all the country’s nature trails. Visit of Louis Kirk, a Ranger from USA and his wife, for National Nature Week, 1963. Further discussion about establishing the Cheshire Nature Trust and the importance that Max Nicholson attached to the establishment of county trusts. Visit to the artist Charles Tunnicliffe on Anglesey and his creation of the Trust’s logo. Sandbach Flashes and British Soda Company.
The full interview is now available here on the Club's website as a playable audio file with a video slideshow accompaniment. Many of the photos used in the video slideshow are also available in the corresponding sub-section in the Gallery page of this website.
The website, audio and slideshow content has been edited and produced by Ken and Carolyn Taylor from original text, audio files and photos supplied by Tom and Gisèle Wall.