Modena History

Mr. R.C. Chavasse of Sutton Coldfield, England may have been the first English fancier to import and breed gazzi Modenas between 1876 and 1878 from Berlin, a pair of bronzes. He showed them in 1880 and 1881.

On reporting about the Crystal Palace Show in 1881 the Live Stock Journal quotes :

"But perhaps the most interesting features of the show were Mr. Neff's bronze-winged Italian pigeon named Modena."

  Front page of Feathered World newspaper on December 29th 1893.Sketch by A.F. Lydon

"This bird was among the small stud of Modenas purchased by Mr. A.J. Arthy off Mr. Rutherford of Waltham Abbey. In 1889 it took 2nd at the Crystal Palace since when it has amongst others taken prizes or honours at the following shows: Chichester, Chelmsford, Salisbury, Harlow and the Essex Columbarium.

The Modena has a very striking and handsome plumage which it keeps remarkably clean. It has a powerful and rapid flight capable of high training. It is very hardy and breeds freely. With all these good points it only needs to be better known to be more generally patronised"

At that time Feathered World was a weekly registered newspaper costing 1 old penny.