Restless Brilliance: Singing Like Larks with Andrew Millham and David Simmonds

Join local nature and folk history writer, Andrew Millham, for a joyous celebration of song, the seasons, and our love of birds. Andrew will be in conversation with David Simmonds and they will be discussing Andrew’s book, Singing Like Larks, and also the legacy of J.A. Baker’s The Peregrine and what it means to Essex.

Singing Like Larks by Andrew Millham is an important repository and treasury of bird-related folk songs. It opens a rare window onto the ancient song traditions of the British Isles, interweaving mesmerising lyrics, folklore and colourful nature writing to uncover the remarkable relationship between birds and traditional folk music.

The Peregrine by J.A. Baker was first published in 1967. The book was an immediate success. Reviews called it a masterpiece of nature writing and it won several awards. Since then, Baker’s unique poetic writing has continued to inspire a new generation of nature writers and naturalists, and The Peregrine was recently voted one of the UK’s top 10 favourite nature books.

Part of our special day of events at Hylands Estate, Chelmsford, under the banner of Restless Brilliance. Linking up with the J.A. Baker exhibition of the same name, (Chelmsford Museum: 23 Mar-3 Nov) we will be focussing on all things nature and ornithology.

Sunday 16 June, 1.30pm

Venue: Hylands Estate, London Road, Writtle, Chelmsford, CM2 8WQ
Tickets: £10 / £8 concessions (Students, Under 27s and Unwaged)
Box Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948

Singing Like Larks: A Celebration of Birds in Folk Songs by Andrew Millham

RSPB Book of the Month

Order a copy of Singing Like Larks at bookshop.org

Birds are beloved for their song and have featured in our own music for centuries. This charming volume takes us on a journey of discovery to explore why birds appear in so many folk songs.

Today, folk songs featuring our feathered friends are themselves something of a threatened species: their melodies are fading with the passage of time, and their lyrics are often tucked away in archives. It is more important than ever that we promote awareness of these precious songs and continue to pass them down the generations. Lifetimes of wisdom are etched into the words and music, preserving the natural rhythms of nature and our connection to times past.

Andrew Millham

Andrew Millham is a nature and folk history writer, with features and columns published in a wide range of national publications including BBC Wildlife, Coast and The Countryman. He graduated with a first class honours degree in environmental science, has received a Field Studies Council ‘Young Darwin Scholarship’ and – after completing his training with Essex Wildlife Trust – is now a Forest School leader, teaching outdoor skills to primary school children.

David Simmonds

An Essex Man through and through, David was born at Rochford and grew up at Leigh-on-Sea, with Belfairs Woods his first experience of nature. Apart from studying Economics at the University of Nottingham, David Simmonds has lived in Essex throughout his life and resides in Chelmsford.

As well as volunteering for the National Trust at Hatfield Forest, he is a member of the Essex Birdwatching Society and the RSPB. He is a keen birdwatcher and walker and, with his wife, visits the countryside and coast whenever he can. After discovering the writing of J A Baker, especially The Peregrine, he set up a website at jabaker.co.uk . He is delighted that the tradition of great nature writers from Essex continues with Andrew Millham and is very pleased to be chairing the event on 16 June.

The Peregrine by J.A. Baker

Order a copy of The Peregrine at bookshop.org

The Peregrine by J.A. Baker was first published in 1967. The book was an immediate success. Reviews called it a masterpiece of nature writing and it won several awards. Since then, Baker’s unique poetic writing has continued to inspire a new generation of nature writers and naturalists, and The Peregrine was recently voted one of the UK’s top 10 favourite nature books.