London-area post-medieval redware 'sparrow' or bird pot. The vessel is shaped like a bottle with a semi-circular slotted aperture for fixing and an integral lug perch (the wooden stick is missing). Bird pots were hung under the eaves or from a garden wall to encourage nesting and sometimes the eggs and squabs (young birds) were removed for eating. These pots were used throughout Europe and several examples have been recovered from excavations in London dating to the 16th and 17th centuries. The 16th-century inventory of the Bridge House Estate includes a payment in March 1526 of 4d for five 'sparrow pottes' for the garden.
