John Beverley Nichols (9 September 1898 – 15 September 1983) was an English writer, playwright and public speaker. He wrote more than 60 books and plays.

Career

Between his first book, the novel ''Prelude'' (1920), and his last, a book of poetry, ''Twilight'' (1982), Nichols wrote more than 60 books. In addition to fiction, essays, theatre scripts and children's books, he wrote non-fiction works on travel, politics, religion, cats, parapsychology, and autobiography. He contributed to many magazines and newspapers throughout his life, notably weekly columns for the London ''Sunday Chronicle'' newspaper (1932–1943) and ''

Woman's Own ''Woman's Own'' is a British lifestyle magazine aimed at women. Publication ''Woman's Own'' was first published in... 1932 by Newnes. In its early years it placed women's rights and social problems firmly in the foreground. Its first "agony aunt ...

'' magazine (1946–1967). Nichols is notable for his books about his homes and gardens, the first of which, ''Down the Garden Path'' (1932), was illustrated by

Rex Whistler Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 190518 July 1944) was a British artist, who painted murals and society portraits, and designed theatrical costumes. He was killed in action in Normandy in World War II. Whistler was the brother of poet and ...

, as were its two sequels. It went through 32 editions and has remained in print almost continuously. The trilogy chronicled the difficulties and delights of maintaining a Tudor thatched cottage in

Glatton Glatton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, some south-west of Peterborough, near the villages of Conington, Huntingdonshire, Conington, Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, Yaxley and Stilton. It lies in the non-metropolitan distric ...

, Huntingdonshire, the village he fictionalised as Allways. The now Grade II listed house Allways was his home from 1928 to 1937. The three books were so popular that they led to humorous imitations, including ''Mon Repos'' (1934) by "Nicholas Bevel" (a parody by Muriel Hine) and ''Garden Rubbish'' (1936) by

W. C. Sellar Walter Carruthers Sellar (27 December 1898 – 11 June 1951) was a Scottish humourist who wrote for ''Punch''. He is best known for the 1930 book ''1066 and All That'', a tongue-in-cheek guide to "all the history you can remember," which h ...

and R. J. Yeatman, a satire on garden writers, which included a Nichols-like figure named "Knatchbull Twee." Nichols' next garden and home book was ''Green Grows the City'' (1939), about his modern house and urban garden near

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London Clay. The heath is rambling ...

, London. That book introduced Reginald Arthur Gaskin, Nichols' manservant from 1924 until Gaskin's death in January 1967. Gaskin was a popular character in the book and was included in Nichols' succeeding gardening books. A second trilogy (1951–1956) began with ''Merry Hall'', documenting Nichols' travails with his extravagant Georgian manor in Agates Lane,

Ashtead Ashtead is a village in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, approximately south of central London. Ashtead is on the single-carriageway A24 road (Great Britain), A24 between Epsom and Leatherhead. The village is on the northern sl ...

, Surrey (fictionalised as Meadowstream), where Nichols lived from 1946 to 1956. The books often featured his gifted but laconic gardener "Oldfield". Nichols' final trilogy (1963–1968) chronicled his adapting to a more modest living arrangement, beginning in 1958, in a late 18th-century attached cottage ("Sudbrook") at

Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

, near

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. This was Nichols' final home and garden, where he lived for 25 years until his death in 1983. Illustrations and

dust jacket The dust jacket (sometimes book jacket, dust wrapper or dust cover) of a book is the detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations. This outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book ...

designs for these later volumes were provided by William McLaren. Nichols wrote on a wide range of subjects. He ghostwrote

Dame Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the f ...

's 1925 "autobiography" ''Memories and Melodies'' (he was at the time her personal secretary, and his 1933 book ''Evensong'' was believed to be based on aspects of her life). In 1933, Nichols wrote a bestseller advocating

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ...

, ''Cry Havoc!'', which sparked intense debate in Britain and North America.Martin Ceadel, ''Pacifism in Britain, 1914–1945: the defining of a faith''. Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1980. (p.239). In ''Cry Havoc!'' Nichols said that by the time the book went to the press the new dictator of Germany,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, might be exiled or might have rejected the extremist elements in the Nazi party.

Francis Yeats-Brown Major Francis Charles Claydon Yeats-Brown, DFC (15 August 1886 – 19 December 1944) was an officer in the British Indian army and the author of the memoir '' The Lives of a Bengal Lancer'', for which he was awarded the 1930 James Tait Black ...

wrote ''Dogs of War'' (1934) as a rebuttal of Nichols's pacifism and called him a public danger. In his 1938 work ''News of England'', Nichols said the leader of the

British Union of Fascists The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, f ...

Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980), was a British aristocrat and politician who rose to fame during the 1920s and 1930s when he, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, turned to fascism. ...

, was a potential leader who could unite Britain and prevent war but was critical of Mosley's antisemitism. Nichols worked for the

Anglo-German Fellowship The Anglo-German Fellowship was a membership organisation that existed from 1935 to 1939, and aimed to encourage friendly relations between the United Kingdom and Germany. Previous groups in Britain with the same aims had been wound up when Ado ...

in an effort to improve Anglo-Germans relations and delivered speeches to the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...

during his visits to Germany, in which he advocated peace. By 1938, he had abandoned his pacifism, and he supported the Allies in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Nichols criticised

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

and

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

in ''Verdict on India'' (1944), and advocated the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

as the solution to Hindu-Muslim antagonism. He labelled the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

as fascist and argued that they were aiding the Japanese enemy by advocating civil disobedience to British rule. He also put the case for the creation of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

on the grounds of self-determination. The book became a bestseller and was praised by the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India with the goal of securing Muslims, Muslim interests in South Asia. Although initially espousing a united India with interfaith unity, the Muslim L ...

but was opposed by Congress. In 1966 he wrote ''A Case of Human Bondage'' about the marriage and divorce of writer

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

and his wife, interior decorator

Syrie Maugham Gwendoline Maud Syrie Maugham ( Barnardo, formerly Wellcome; 10 July 1879 – 25 July 1955) was a leading British interior decorator of the 1920s and 1930s who popularised rooms decorated entirely in white. Early life Gwendoline Maud Syrie Ba ...

, which was highly critical of Maugham. He was disappointed by the reception of ''Powers That Be'' (1966), a book about

spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...

. ''Father Figure'' (1972), in which Nichols described how he tried to murder his

alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...

, abusive father, caused uproar and calls for his prosecution. Nichols was also a mystery writer. His five detective novels (1954–1960) featured a middle-aged private detective of independent means called Horatio Green. Apart from authorship, Nichols' main interest was gardening, especially garden design and winter flowers. His many acquaintances in all walks of life included some famous gardeners, such as

Constance Spry Constance Spry (née Fletcher, previously Marr; 5 December 1886 – 3 January 1960) was a British educator, florist and author in the mid-20th century. Life Constance Fletcher was born in Derby in 1886, the eldest child and only daughter of ...

and Lord Aberconway, President of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

and owner of

Bodnant Garden Bodnant Garden () is a National Trust property near Tal-y-Cafn, Conwy, Wales, overlooking the Conwy valley towards the Carneddau mountains. Founded in 1874 and developed by five generations of one family, it was given to the National Trust in ...

in North Wales. In 2009

Timber Press Workman Publishing Company, Inc., is an American Publishing companies, publisher of Tradebook, trade books founded by Peter Workman. The company consists of Imprint (trade name), imprints Workman, Workman Children's, Workman Calendars, Artisan ...

, which have reprinted a number of Nichols' titles, published a book called ''Rhapsody in Green: The Garden Wit and Wisdom of Beverley Nichols'', edited by Roy C. Dicks. Nichols made one film appearance, in '' Glamour'' (1931), directed by

Seymour Hicks Sir Edward Seymour Hicks (30 January 1871 – 6 April 1949), better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, actor-manager and producer. He became known, early in his career, for writing, starring in and p ...

and

Harry Hughes Harry Roe Hughes (November 13, 1926 – March 13, 2019) was an American politician from the Democratic Party who served as the 57th Governor of Maryland from 1979 to 1987. Early life and family Hughes was born in Easton, Maryland, the ...

, playing the small part of the Hon. Richard Wells. The film is now lost.

Personal life

Nichols was at school at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

before proceeding to

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

in January 1917. His education was interrupted by military service with the Intelligence section at the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

, as an instructor to an Officer Cadet Battalion in Cambridge, and as aide-de-camp to

Arthur Shipley Sir Arthur Everett Shipley (10 March 1861 – 22 September 1927) was an English zoologist and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Shipley specialised in the study of parasitic worms. Biography Shipley was born in Walton-on-Thames, ...

on the British University Mission to the United States. Nichols then returned to Oxford, where he was President of the

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest unive ...

and editor of ''

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

''. In 1920 he passed the Shortened Honours degree in Modern History. He was homosexual and probably had a brief affair with the war poet

Siegfried Sassoon Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World ...

, according to a Sassoon biographer. Nichols' long-term companion was the actor and director Cyril Butcher, the main beneficiary of Nichols' will, amounting to £131,750. Nichols died on 15 September 1983 and his ashes were scattered over St Nicholas' Churchyard,

, Cambridgeshire, England.

Selected bibliography

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Essays and journalism

*''Are They The Same at Home? Being a Series of Bouquets Diffidently Distributed'' (1927) *''The Star Spangled Manner'' (1928) *''Women and Children Last'' (1931) *''For Adults Only'' (1932) *''Cry Havoc!'' (1933) *''News of England or a Country Without a Hero'' (1938) *''Verdict on India'' (1944) *''Men Do Not Weep'' (1941) *''Uncle Samson'' (1950) *''The Queen's Coronation Day: The Pictorial Record of the Great Occasion'' (1953)

Gardening, homes and restoration

*''Down the Garden Path'' (1932) *''A Thatched Roof'' (1933) *''A Village in a Valley'' (1934) *''How Does Your Garden Grow?'' (1935) *''Green Grows the City: The Story of a London Garden'' (1939) *''Merry Hall'' (1951) *''Laughter on the Stairs'' (1953) *''Sunlight on the Lawn'' (1956) *''Garden Open Today'' (1963) *''Forty Favourite Flowers'' (1964) *''The Art of Flower Arrangement'' (1967) *''Garden Open Tomorrow'' (1968) *''The Gift of a Garden; or Some Flowers Remembered'' (1971)

Novels

*''Prelude'' (1920) (reprinted in 2007) ) *''Patchwork'' (1921) *''Self'' (1922) *''Crazy Pavements'' (1927) *''Evensong'' (1932), filmed in 1934 *''Revue'' (1939)

Mysteries

*''No Man's Street'' (1954) *''The Moonflower'' (1955) (a.k.a. The Moonflower Murder) *''Death to Slow Music'' (1956) *''The Rich Die Hard'' (1957) *''Murder by Request'' (1960)

Cats

*''Beverley Nichols' Cat Book'' (1955) *''Beverley Nichols' Cats A.B.C.'' (1960) *''Beverley Nichols' Cats X.Y.Z.'' (1961) *''Cats' A-Z'' (1977) , valign=top ,

Religion

*''The Fool Hath Said'' (1936) *''A Pilgrim's Progress'' (1952)

Spiritualism

*''Powers That Be'' (1966)

Humour

*''The Valet as Historian'' (1934)

Plays and poetry

*''Failures: Three Plays'' (1933) **''The Stag'' (produced 1929) **''Avalanche'' (produced 1931) **''When the Crash Comes'' (produced 1933) *''

Evensong Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. It is loosely based on the canonical hours of vespers and compline. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which ...

'' (produced 1932, published 1933) *''A Book of Old Ballads'' (editor, 1934) with illustrations by H. M. Brock *''Mesmer'' (produced 1935, published 1937) *''

Shadow of the Vine "Shadow of the Vine" is a 1962 Australian television play adapted from a 1949 play by Beverley Nichols. It aired on 7 October 1962 in Sydney and Melbourne, and on 3 June 1962 in Brisbane and Adelaide. It was originally made for HSV-7 then present ...

'' (published 1949, produced 1954) *''Twilight: First and Probably Last Poems'' (1982)

Autobiographies

*''25: Being a Young Man's Candid Recollections of his Elders and Betters'' (1926); also titled ''Twenty-Five'' *''All I Could Never Be: Some Recollections'' (1949) *''The Sweet and Twenties'' (1958) *''Father Figure'' (1972) *''Down the Kitchen Sink'' (1974) *''The Unforgiving Minute: Some Confessions from Childhood to the Outbreak of the Second World War'' (1978)

Biography

*''A Case of Human Bondage: The Tragic Marriage of Somerset Maugham'' (1966)

Children's books

*''The Tree that Sat Down'' (1945) *''The Stream that Stood Still'' (1948) *''The Mountain of Magic'' (1950) *''The Wickedest Witch in the World'' (1971)

Travel

*''No Place Like Home'' (1936) *''The Sun in My Eyes or How Not to Go Around the World'' (1969)

In collaboration

* Butcher, Cyril. ''In Extremis, Worst Moments in the Lives of the Famous'' (1934), with a foreword by Beverley Nichols. *''Yours Sincerely'' (1947), in collaboration with

Monica Dickens Monica Enid Dickens, MBE (10 May 1915 – 25 December 1992) was an English writer, the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Biography Known as "Monty" to her family and friends, she was born into an upper-middle-class London family to Henr ...

References

External links

Beverley Nichols papers
held a
University of Delaware

Beverley Nichols Collection
at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...

Beverley Nichols: Conserving Moments from His 'Strange and Lovely Life'
(online exhibition), at th
University of Delaware
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Beverly 1898 births 1983 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford English short story writers English gardeners British garden writers British LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights English LGBTQ novelists English male dramatists and playwrights English male short story writers English male novelists People educated at Marlborough College Presidents of the Oxford Union Writers from Bristol 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English short story writers 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English LGBTQ people English garden writers