Sparrow pot; bird pot

A London-area post-medieval redware (PMBR) bird pot with semi-circular cut-out in the base, perch support on the neck and corresponding hole in the shoulder.

Bird pots are purpose-made ceramic nesting boxes, hung at right-angles to the wall, using a V or V-shaped notch in the largely cut-away base. Most were placed under the eaves or from a garden wall to encourage nesting. The pots were made in two distinct forms in England: one with a short pierced lug with a corresponding small hole through the shoulder for the horizontal wooden perch; the other with a removable plate over the base and a loop handle for suspension, with a flattened side which allowed the pot to rest directly against the wall; a type commonly found on the Continent. Sometimes the eggs and squabs were removed for eating and it has been suggested that the placement of these pots also encouraged martins to next under the eaves of buldings to control flying insects.