Ramblings Ghosts of the Farm with Nicola Chester
Jan 29, 2026
Nicola Chester, writer and author of Ghosts of the Farm, leads a walk through Inkpen reflecting on rural life and farming history. She recounts discovering Miss Julia White’s wartime revival of a derelict farm. They talk about women’s roles in agriculture, changing machinery, and the landscapes and wildlife that shaped these stories.
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Broken Leg, Unbroken Determination
- Nicola Chester broke her leg after a dog ‘zoomies’ incident but still returned to walking and writing about farming life.
- Her personal determination frames her connection to land and the stories she investigates.
Blending Tradition With Innovation
- Miss Julia White transformed a derelict farm into a productive operation during WWII through practical risk-taking and leadership.
- Nicola highlights how blending old skills and new technology defined effective wartime farming.
Finding Julia White’s Trail
- Nicola found Julia White's self-published diary and later discovered physical traces of her life near Nicola's home, deepening the research connection.
- Julia arrived in a caravan, apprenticed with women farmers, then bought Manor Farm with their support.
