On Gallows Down : Place, Protest and Belonging (Shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2022 for Nature Writing - Highly Commended)

**"It’s ever so good. Political, passionate & personal."―Robert Macfarlane (via Twitter), author of __Underland__** **Part nature writing, part memoir, __On Gallows Down__ is an essential, unforgettable read for fans of Helen Macdonald, Terry Tempest Williams, and Robin Wall Kimmerer.** **"I couldn’t put it down! A must read!"―Dara McAnulty (via Twitter), author of __Diary of a Young Naturalist__** Nicola Chester won the __BBC Wildlife Magazine__’s Nature Writer of the Year Award – this is her first book. **__On Gallows Down__ is a powerful, personal story shaped by a landscape; one that ripples and undulates with protest, change, hope – and the search for home.** From the girl catching the eye of the “peace women” of Greenham Common to the young woman protesting the loss of ancient and beloved trees, and as a mother raising a family in a farm cottage in the shadow of grand, country estates, this is the story of how Nicola Chester came to write – as a means of protest. The story of how she discovered the rich seam of resistance that runs through her village of Newbury and its people – from the English Civil War to the Swing Riots and the battle against the Newbury Bypass. And the story of the hope she finds in the rewilding of Greenham Common after the military left, the stories told by the landscapes of Watership Down, the gallows perched high on Inkpen Beacon and Highclere Castle (the setting of Downtown Abbey). Nature is indelibly linked to belonging for Nicola. She charts her story through the walks she takes with her children across the chalk hills of the North Wessex Downs, though the song of the nightingale and the red kites, fieldfares, skylarks and lapwings that accompany her; the badger cubs she watches at night; the velvety mole she discovers in her garden and the cuckoo, whose return she awaits. __On Gallows Down__ tells of how Nicola came to realize that it is __she__ who can decide where she belongs, for home is a place in nature and imagination, which must be protected through words and actions. **"__We are writing for our very lives and for those wild lives we share this one, lonely planet with.__"―Nicola Chester** "It’s ever so good. Political, passionate & personal."―Robert Macfarlane (via Twitter), author of Underland Part nature writing, part memoir, On Gallows Down is an essential, unforgettable read for fans of Helen Macdonald, Terry Tempest Williams, and Robin Wall Kimmerer. "I couldn’t put it down! A must read!"―Dara McAnulty (via Twitter), author of Diary of a Young Naturalist Nicola Chester won the BBC Wildlife Magazine ’s Nature Writer of the Year Award – this is her first book. On Gallows Down is a powerful, personal story shaped by a landscape; one that ripples and undulates with protest, change, hope – and the search for home. From the girl catching the eye of the “peace women” of Greenham Common to the young woman protesting the loss of ancient and beloved trees, and as a mother raising a family in a farm cottage in the shadow of grand, country estates, this is the story of how Nicola Chester came to write – as a means of protest. The story of how she discovered the rich seam of resistance that runs through her village of Newbury and its people – from the English Civil War to the Swing Riots and the battle against the Newbury Bypass. And the story of the hope she finds in the rewilding of Greenham Common after the military left, the stories told by the landscapes of Watership Down, the gallows perched high on Inkpen Beacon and Highclere Castle (the setting of Downtown Abbey). Nature is indelibly linked to belonging for Nicola. She charts her story through the walks she takes with her children across the chalk hills of the North Wessex Downs, though the song of the nightingale and the red kites, fieldfares, skylarks and lapwings that accompany her; the badger cubs she watches at night; the velvety mole she discovers in her garden and the cuckoo, whose return she awaits. On Gallows Down tells of how Nicola came to realize that it is she who can decide where she belongs, for home is a place in nature and imagination, which must be protected through words and actions. " We are writing for our very lives and for those wild lives we share this one, lonely planet with. "―Nicola Chester "Part nature writing, part memoir, On Gallows Down is an essential, unforgettable read for fans of Helen Macdonald, Melissa Harrison and Isabella Tree. Nicola Chester won the BBC Wildlife Magazine's Nature Writer of the Year Award - this is her first book. The story of a life shaped by landscape; of an enduring love of nature and the fierce desire to protect it - living as part of the rural working class in a 'tied cottage' on a country estate - and what it takes to feel like you belong. As a child, Nicola roamed the countryside, finding a sense of freedom, wildness and place in the outdoors, where nature and home were one and the same. As she grew up, she realised this world could be torn from her and destroyed, first in the shadow of the nuclear missiles at Greenham Common and then by the extinction of a centuries-old wood as a new road was forced through it. On Gallows Down is a book about hope - from the rewilding of Greenham Common after the missiles left to how, as a new mother, Nicola walked the chalk hills to give her children roots, teaching them names and waymarks to find their way home. It is about the songs of the nightingale and cuckoo - whose return she waits for - the red kites, fieldfares, skylarks and lapwings that accompany her, the badger cubs she watches at night and the velvety mole she finds in her garden. And it is also the story of how Nicola came to write and to protest - unearthing the seam of resistance that ran through Newbury's past, from the Civil Wars to the Swing Riots and the women of the Greenham Common Peace Camps, and to the fight against the Newbury bypass. A resistance that continues today against the destruction of hedgerows, trees and wildlife through modern farm estate management. On Gallows Down is perfect for fans of H is for Hawk, The Salt Path and Featherhood. 'It is impossible to write with integrity about nature without protesting and resisting and waving a desperate red flag. Isn't it?'"--Publisher's description "Part nature writing, part memoir, On Gallows Down is an essential, unforgettable read for fans of Helen Macdonald, Melissa Harrison and Isabella Tree. Nicola Chester won the BBC Wildlife Magazine's Nature Writer of the Year Award - this is her first book. The story of a life shaped by landscape; of an enduring love of nature and the fierce desire to protect it - living as part of the rural working class in a 'tied cottage' on a country estate - and what it takes to feel like you belong. As a child, Nicola roamed the countryside, finding a sense of freedom, wildness and place in the outdoors, where nature and home were one and the same. As she grew up, she realised this world could be torn from her and destroyed, first in the shadow of the nuclear missiles at Greenham Common and then by the extinction of a centuries-old wood as a new road was forced through it. On Gallows Down is a book about hope - from the rewilding of Greenham Common after the missiles left to how, as a new mother, Nicola walked the chalk hills to give her children roots, teaching them names and waymarks to find their way home. It is about the songs of the nightingale and cuckoo - whose return she waits for - the red kites, fieldfares, skylarks and lapwings that accompany her, the badger cubs she watches at night and the velvety mole she finds in her garden. And it is also the story of how Nicola came to write and to protest - unearthing the seam of resistance that ran through Newbury's past, from the Civil Wars to the Swing Riots and the women of the Greenham Common Peace Camps, and to the fight against the Newbury bypass. A resistance that continues today against the destruction of hedgerows, trees and wildlife through modern farm estate management. On Gallows Down is perfect for fans of H is for Hawk, The Salt Path and Featherhood. 'It is impossible to write with integrity about nature without protesting and resisting and waving a desperate red flag. Isn't it?'"-- Provided by publisher