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  • On Gallows Down

  • Place, Protest and Belonging
  • By: Nicola Chester
  • Narrated by: Nicola Chester
  • Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (20 ratings)

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On Gallows Down

By: Nicola Chester
Narrated by: Nicola Chester
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Summary

"I couldn’t put it down! A must read!" (Dara McAnulty, via Twitter, author of The Diary of a Young Naturalist)

Part nature writing, part memoir, On Gallows Down is an essential, unforgettable listen for fans of Helen Macdonald, Terry Tempest Williams, and Robin Wall Kimmerer.

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.

©2021 Nicola Chester (P)2021 Chelsea Green Publishing
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Critic reviews

"It’s ever so good. Political, passionate, and personal." (Robert McFarlane, via Twitter)

What listeners say about On Gallows Down

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  • Overall
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A poetic tale spoken from the heart

Nicola writes with such poetry and paints such vivid images of a landscape filled with rich memories and experience.

A must read or listen.

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Captivating

A stunningly beautiful book. I was sucked in to the story immediately and felt passionate and involved in the events at once. The writing is so thoughtful and sensitively done and every time I listened, I felt like I was giving myself a treat. A must read.

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Beautiful. Passionate. Rousing

This book had me enthralled. Nicola's ability to describe nature kept stopping me in my tracks and forcing a little rewind to experience it again. The story which criss-crosses my own experience was so gently and warmly told it lifted my heart. Thank you Nicola!

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A must listen or read book

Nicola reading her own book and account of her life is disturbing and inspiring at the same time. It made me realise how bare the countryside is now with the farming and other practices such as pheasant shooting that have changed the flora and fauna habitats so dramatically. It does however give some hope that with commitment a change can bring back some species and environments.

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Beautifully written and read

A lovely story of Nicola’s deep and enduring relationship with the land and nature around her. Thank you a great listen

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Amazing listening to someone so connectedto nature

Amazing listening to someone so connected to nature, and the delicate relationship between land owner and local nature passionate and knowledgeable members of the community

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A beautiful book - very uplifting

I absolutely loved this book. A beautiful and very candid account of Nicola Chester's family life. I'm familiar with many of the places she describes in the book and it was lovely to learn more about them.

Nicola's commitment to, and empathy with the environment around her and the commitment to a simple but fulfiling life is heartwarming.

It is beautifully written and the narration is excellent.

Highly recommended.

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Beautifully written, thoughtful and important

Listen and be inspired to think about the world around you. Beautifully read by the author too. Evocative and moving.

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