I recently discovered that Richard Adams, the author of the novel Watership Down, had lived on the Isle of Man and had written a nature diary during his time here. A quick search of online secondhand bookstores secured me a copy of this book, which was published in 1985. When it arrived, I found that this daily record of Adams' observations of nature is beautifully illustrated throughout by the highly acclaimed illustrator John Lawrence, the same illustrator that worked with Adams to illustrate Watership Down. I'm delighted to share my thoughts on this wonderful book in this week's blog post.
Richard Adams was born in 1920 in Berkshire, England and moved to the Isle of Man following the success of his first novel, Watership Down (published in 1972).
The family lived in Knocksharry House, near Lhergydhoo, for several years before returning to the UK, and it was during this time that Richard Adams wrote his nature diary. Not all of the year (1980) was spent on the Island and so there are periods in which the author describes the nature in London, Anglesey, the Lake District, Denmark and even Australia, which he visited for a promotional tour during that year.
The book is full of short observations of the nature that Richard Adams saw on his various walks and trips around the Island and he obviously had a good knowledge of wildflowers, birds and other species of wildlife. His love of nature is evident in his writing and he noted that he could always find something to enjoy in nature, no matter the time of year. On reading one of the first entries, from the 2nd of January, I learned that a flock of goldfinches is called a 'charm'. A beautiful name for beautiful birds and a good indication that a book's worth reading when you learn something within a few words!
The illustrations in the book are wonderful ink and watercolour sketches that were made on location under the direction of Richard Adams. Some are small and fit between paragraphs, whereas others almost fill two pages. One of my favourites is the drawing of Ballaugh Old Church with its wonderfully wonky gateposts. John Lawrence is such a versatile and successful artist that it's a real treat to see so much of the Isle of Man represented by him in these illustrations. Although the illustrations in the Nature Diary are not engravings, much of John Lawrence's work over the years has been, and there's an interview with him where he shows his studio and printmaking process on the Seven Stories Youtube channel.
Richard Adams died in 2016 at the age of 96 and Manx Radio wrote a small article at that time to make people aware that he'd once lived on the Island. It's so lovely to have such a record of part of his time here preserved in this book.
As Richard Adams lived on the west coast of the Island, many of the accounts are of observations from around this area, particularly the Switchback Road, surrounding hills and Peel. He was clearly a keen walker though, and takes the reader with him on rambles around much of the Island, including Cregneash, North Barrule, Cashtal yn Ard and Blue Point.
The weather often features in the descriptions and really helps to set the scene as he describes the behaviours of the wildlife he encounters, particularly the behaviours of birds. As someone who is familiar with many of the species being described, these accounts hold just enough information to transport me to the place as if I'm watching it happen. Such skill by Adams to do this in so few words. I also enjoyed the way he described the nature he found in his garden as well as the plants he and Clif, whom he described as his horticultural expert, cultivated there as I understand that when you love nature there's joy in it wherever it lies.
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