Beverley Nichols - Leading us Down the Garden Path
Beverley Nichols (1898-1983) was an author, socialite, and garden creator. Now perhaps best remembered for his books which were not quite about gardening and yet not-quite not about gardening. Inspired by his various houses and gardens, the events he shared and the people he portrayed (sometimes quite mercilessly) were also not quite true and yet not-quite not true. Although somewhat misogynistic in style, and resolutely off-hand on the subject of gardening instruction, his 1932 best-selling work Down the Garden Path, illustrated by Rex Whistler, has been in print almost continuously since it first appeared. It was followed by two other works about his time at ‘Allways’ (his pseudonym for Glatton, Cambridgeshire), before a move to Hampstead Heath and then on to a Georgian manor in Ashtead, Surrey resulted in more not-quite gardening books. Nichols gave rise to a particular genre of gardening memoir in the mid-twentieth century, not to mention several satires on the style including Garden Rubbish (1936). This Gardens Trust talk by garden historian Twigs Way, will explore the life, loves and garden landscapes of Beverley Nichols, drawing on published and unpublished material. The speaker lives in the village adjacent to Nichols’ beloved ‘Allways’.
Time: 10:00 GMT
