Felicity Philippa, Lady Scott ( Talbot-Ponsonby; 22 November 1918 – 5 January 2010) was a British wildlife conservationist.

Personal life

Born in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, Scott later moved to England, and worked in the code school at

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes ( Buckinghamshire) that became the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. The mansion was constructed during the years following ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She married

Sir Peter Scott Sir Peter Markham Scott, (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he took an interest in ...

, naturalist and founder of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, in 1951 after an expedition to ring pink-footed geese. She died, aged 91, in

Slimbridge Slimbridge is a village and civil parish near Dursley in Gloucestershire, England. It is best known as the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's WWT Slimbridge, Slimbridge Reserve which was started by Sir Peter Scott. Canal and Patch Bridg ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

Career

Scott was Honorary Director of the

Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is an international wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Charles III, and its president is Kate Humble. History The WWT was founded in 1946 by the ornithologist a ...

, founded in 1948 by Sir Peter. She had a keen interest in nature and the environment and wrote numerous books about her travels from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Scott was also professional wildlife photographer, President of the

Nature in Art Nature in Art is a museum and art gallery at Wallsworth Hall, Twigworth, Gloucester, England, dedicated exclusively to art inspired by nature in all forms, styles and media. The museum has twice been specially commended in the National Heritage ...

Trust, scuba diver and an associate of the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is one of the world's oldest photographic societies. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as the Photographic Society of London with ...

Publications

* ''The Art of Peter Scott'' (completely revised in 2008) * ''Lucky Me'' (autobiographical) * ''So Many Sunlit Hours'' (autobiographical)

Legacy

Scotts' wrasse, '' Cirrhilabrus scottorum'' was named after Scott and her husband for their “great contribution in nature conservation".

Quotes

* ''"The Scott partnership put conservation on the map, at a time when conservation was not a word that most people understood."'' -

Sir David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...

Portrait of Philippa Scott

Scott agreed to sit for a portrait head in clay by

Jon Edgar Jon Edgar is a British sculptor of the Frink School. Improvisation is an important part of his reductive working process and developed from the additive working process of Alan Thornhill. Final works are often autobiographical, perhaps referenc ...

at her home in

in February 2007 as part of the sculptor's environmental series of heads. A bronze was unveiled at the Slimbridge

visitor centre on 6 December 2011.

References

External links

"Philippa Scott obituary"
''The Guardian'' obituary (10 January 2010).
Stroud News obituary
''The Stroud News and Journal'' obituary (16 January 2010)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Philippa 1918 births 2010 deaths British conservationists English women photographers British writers People from Bloemfontein People from Stroud District

Philippa Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or "horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include ''Filippa'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is ''Filipa'' and even ''Philippe'' (cf. the French spelling of ''Philippa of Guelders'' ...

South African emigrants to the United Kingdom Wives of knights