Local author to be remembered

A three-day event dedicated to author, playwright and composer Beverley Nichols will take place in the village of Glatton in September

John Beverley Nichols (1898-1983) was a socialite surrounded by a constellation of the brightest stars of the first half of the twentieth century.

Blessed with a talent that delivered success in multiple disciplines in the arts, Nichols remained a bona fide celebrity for his entire adult life. Yet, despite the acclaim he enjoyed, the fame of Beverley Nichols has dimmed in the years following his death in 1983.

Hailed as one of the original “Bright Young Things” of the 1920s, the prolific English author wrote more than 60 books, including novels, children’s books, mysteries, short stories and poetry, as well as works on travel, politics, religion, celebrity profiles, cats and gardening.

Beverley Nichols lived at Allways, a thatched cottage in Glatton (near Peterborough), between 1928 and 1936. Here Nichols wrote his trilogy of books Down the Garden Path, A Thatched Roof, and A Village in a Valley.

Now, 120 years after his birth, inspired by his fascinating and often contradictory life, individuals from both sides of the Atlantic are collaborating on a project to reintroduce Mr Nichols to a modern audience.

September 7-9 will be ‘Beverley Nichols Weekend’ with an exhibition of Nichol’s works, talks on his life, a beer festival at the village pub, and the unveiling of a heritage plaque dedicated to the author.

Researcher Terry Brignall MBE has also been granted access to Nichols’ historic home, the Allways cottage to view the famous “autograph wall”. It features signatures of the many famous visitors to Allways including film star Clark Gable, Dame Nellie Melba, Rex Whistler and Cecil Beaton.

More at www.beverleynichols.org

Beverley Nichols’ former Glatton home.