Wonderful stories about an old mill and chalk river brought back to life

Tales from the Mill is a collection of delightful stories that trace the history and current day activities - both wild and human - of a lovingly restored water mill and chalk stream situated in the countryside of Hampshire. Author and narrator, Simon Cooper, opens a window into an otherwise private world where old customs and traditions are preserved and the challenges and delights of living so close to Nature are shared through the four seasons.

I first read about the remarkable renovation of a chalk stream and ancient water mill in Simon Cooper's book, Life of a Chalkstream which I thoroughly enjoyed and reviewed here in October 2025. Tales of the Mill is a wonderful follow up with no lesss than 196 delightful short stories that you can dip into for a quick read or settle in to read right the way through.

This review will give you a glimpse of what to expect and the reassurance that there are pockets of land across the British Isles where Nature is respected for being the first to call the land 'home' and therefore protected from the relentless onslaught of modern agriculture and waste that continues to destroy all in its path without any recourse. Simon speaks out about this in his tale which is refreshing and we hope his words of wisdom willl have an effect where most needed.

Introduction

The first tales relate the discovering and buying the Nether Wallop Mill - a building so old, it predates the Doomsday Book. Simon tells us it is somewhere in the region of 1,100 years old from a time when King Alfred the Great was on the throne. The mill and chalk stream are located in Hampshire, close to other ancient sites such as Stonehenge and the Danebury Ring, an Iron Age hillfort that dominates the local skyline.

Anyone interested in local history and traditional engineering will enjoy 'Divinging the Past' and 'How To Build a Mill', and the chapter called 'Arriving at the Mill' was one of my favourites. Described as a utility building with a far prettier red-tiled whitewashed house that was formerly the miller's cottage close by, Simon explains: The Mill is quite literally moated by streams that flow around it, two others that run under it, plus a lake to the side.

The building of this ancient mill represents masterful engineering that not only served to provide food for an entire village but also completely shaped the water-filled landscape. We are given a true insight into the history of the mill being built in the Saxon times [mostly of flint] to serve the immediate population, grinding on only a few days and hours a week. And that: As with many villages in England, it was World War One that provided the watershed that set Nether Wallop on the course to what it is today.

Spring

In this most abundant of seasons, there are tales of an 'Indestructable Willow', the demise of 'Mr Heron' and Simon's 'Otters' Tale' together with smart Insects, not so pointless slugs and the antics of Geese. All this interspersed with tales of 'Pumping and Pruning', fixing 'The Squeaqky Wheel' and 'A Weekend in Wallop'.

As always, it is the descriptions of the Nature and the surrounding landscape that draw me in. It's the imagining of the first signs of life after a long cold Winter when 'trees, for so long bleak sntinels along the valley ridge, show a hint of green and when small creatures, lured out from simi-hibernation by the midday warmth, scurry heard but unseen amonth the stiff, dead greases alongside the Brook. He continues with a gentle humour:

Birds start to sing long and hard to makk territory and call out for a mate. Ducks fight. Geese honk. Kingfishers shilstle in flight. At night the eeks of otters echo up the valley.

Summer

Here we find tales of 'Life in a Village' and 'Weed Cut Month' representing nearly 200 years of intensive management through June, July and August when the river closes to fishing and the cut weed is alowed to flow out to sea - or where it is collected to prevent the town flooding. This involves removing hundreds of tonnes of weed by crane which is then trasported by lorry to a plant for composting.

Other tales feature the elusive Southern Damselfly, the joys of biirdsong in 'Welcome to My Birdworld' (not forgetting Cuckoos and Cockrals), picking up litter in the lanes, 'Jaffer the Cat' and the history and plight of eels including the removal of abandoned traps to increase the chances of the survival of those that remain.

Autumn

The first is a sorry tale 'Hares in Danger' with increasing deaths being reported in the British Isles. It is not known why this is happening so If you come across a sick or demised hare in the countryside, your help would be incredibly valuable to researchers tracking the spread of such illnesses. As Simon says, you can report this to Dr. Diana Bell at the University of East Anglia (UEA), who is monitoring the mystery Hare mortality in the British Isles.

I love the tale called a 'Sting in Every Tail' where Simon sings the praises of one of the most important consumers of something in the region of 14 million kilos of invertebrates annually and how they help to maintain the ecologial balance of our nation. Simon reminds us that our gardens could literally not exist without the intervention of wasps as pest controllers and I would say, please think again the next time a wasp is attracted to the sugar on your table, quietly move away or remove the sugar!

Winter

Following a tale that reflects on the age of the mill and how the mill served its purpose through the ages, during the coldest time of the year, Simon tells stories of the returning Otter, 'Molehills and Men' (reminding me of a wonderful book I reviewed here called A Life In Nature Or How To Catch A Mole by Marc Hamer), catching the wiley Mr Rat who had a taste for Trout, the 'Vole Who Lives in a Hole' and 'The Love of Mistletoe'. 

I loved 'Escaping the Mists of Winter' when the only colour is from the static grey sky where breaks in the cloud allow for bright patches of the pinky-orange setting sun to show through. I also enjoyed 'The Song of the Robin' and 'The Cunning of Crows'  where the predawn mornings bring cawing of epic proportions. On closer observation, it seems this flocking in large numbers is something crows typically do, gathering before dawn to head to the feeding spots.

The antics of the Otters have provided Simon with a subject for his next book called 'Beyond the Riverbank - An Otter's Tale' which is a children's book that will be published soon, its release date is yet to be confirmed.

Closer to Nature

The most important thing Simon learned from his experience in bringing life back to an old forgotten mill and its chalk stream over the course of a few years, was the exquisit community created by Mother Nature in the right conditions and how much work was involved to make that happen.

To his credit, SImon did everything to ensure Nature's preservation and flourishment, treating all the animals, fish, plants, trees and wildlife that lived there before him with the utmost respect and consideration - no matter how challenging it was at certain times.

I truly believe that one day, many more of us will be able to carry out such wonderful projects so that we can live closer to Nature and the land we treasure so much. Until then, take every opportunity to spend quality time in Nature and wherever that happens to be, you will be rewarded tenfold.

Thank you for reading and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf

Buy the book!

Tales from the Mill by SImon Cooper

Life of a Chalk Stream by Simon Cooper

Clicking on the above link will take you to my online bookshop where Spiral Leaf may earn a small commission on books sold at no extra cost to you!

Further Reading

Life of a Chalkstream by SImon Cooper - A book review by Sue Cartwright, Spiral Leaf