| Admin/Biog History | In January 1934, Nicolson began the second term of his first year at Oxford. During the Easter break he travelled to Italy with Jeremy Hutchinson, staying first in Rome and then in Florence. He returned to Oxford in April completing his first year there in June. |
| Description | In which Nicolson completes his second and third terms at Oxford. Writes about lectures attended; clubs joined; making and meeting friends; dining out; parties; revising for and sitting exams; playing sports; watching films; sorting out 'digs' for the coming year; conversations about books, religion, art and sexuality. Socialises with many friends, including in particular John Usborne, Andrew Wardrop, John McNair, Jeremy Hutchinson, Francis Graham-Harrison, Daniel Meinertzhagen, David Wallace, Ronnie [Ross?], John Sparrow, Michael Rowley, Bill Davies, Stuart Hampshire, Ralph Selby, Roger Mynors, John Avebury, Robert Percival, and Rupert [?]. Also writes about tutorials with Humphrey Sumner; meetings with Maurice Bowra and taking Italian lessons with McCausland.
Spends his holidays in Sissinghurst and writes about everyday life there including gardening, books read, conversations and activities with his parents (Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson), brother (Nigel Nicolson), and other family members including Aunt Gwen (Gwen St Aubyn); Uncle Freddy (Frederick Nicolson); Grandma (Lady Victoria Sackville) and Granny (Mary Hamilton). Also mentions Sissinghurst staff.
Makes regular visits to London, staying at King's Bench Walk. Writes about exhibitions visited; shopping and socialising with friends.
Between 21 March-14 April travels to Italy with Jeremy Hutchinson staying first in Rome and then in Florence. Describes his sight-seeing activities including visits to St Peter's, the Colosseum, Forum, Tivoli, Vatican, Pantheon, Uffizzi, and Academia. Socialises with, amongst others, Gladwyn Jebb, Lawrence Tompkinson, Aldous Huxley, Francis Graham-Harrison, Bernard Berenson, Reggie Turner, St John and Mary Hutchinson (Jeremy Hutchinson's parents) and the Guidotti family.
Of particular note:
January
-8th: visit to London with his father (Harold Nicolson), mother (Vita Sackville-West), brother ( Nigel Nicolson) and Gwen (Gwen St Aubyn); visits the British exhibition at Burlington House [A digital copy of this entry can be found below]
-9th: visits exhibition of Constantin Guys at the Leicester Galleries and views the paintings at Jeremy Hutchinson's house [A digital copy of this entry can be found below]
-10th: visits the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery and views the paintings at Osbert Lancaster's house
-11th: discusses Sickert with Uncle Freddy (Frederick Nicolson) and visits the Tate Gallery to look at new acquisitions
-12th: meets Robert Birley at Burlington House; returns to Oxford
-17th: visits his father (Harold Nicolson) at Farringdon House where he meets Gerald Berners and Robert Percy; father (Harold Nicolson) gives a lecture to the Oxford University German Club
-28th: conversation with Jeremy Hutchinson
-30th: talks with David Wallace and John McNair about his 'whole theory of art'
February
-1st: discusses his parents' travel and mentions them staying with Somerset Maugham in Monte Carlo
-11th: (Nicolson writes January but it is Feb) writes about 'mysterious man Paul Klee' who is having an exhibition in London
-18th: visits Eton with Daniel Meinertzhagen
-26th: discusses plans for a trip to Italy with Jeremy Hutchinson
-28th: has tea with Jeremy Hutchinson and Francis Graham-Harrison and 'talks about 'the appreciation of art. Deplored the fact that people never say 'I know nothing about that''
March
-1st: meets John Pope-Hennessy for the first time and reports 'he plays Beethoven beautifully and knows all about pictures and writes letters to the New Statesmen. He is the most appalling intellectual snob!
-3rd-4th: meets Lawrence Whistler (Rex's brother) for the first time
-8th: 'Joe Grimond asked me to attend a 'Synoptic' meeting in Pope-Hennessy's room.... it is the intellectual club in Balliol, the thickest cream of young Bloomsbury'. Describes his experiences at his first meeting
-10th: writes that he is in love with Ronnie Ross
-14th: visits the Tate Gallery; lunches at Andrew Wardrop's house in Hampstead
-15th: visits Burlington House where he 'studies Samuel Palmer carefully as recommended by Pope-Hennessy'
-20th: begins journey to Italy
-21st: meets Jeremy Hutchinson in Genoa
-22nd: arrives in Rome & stays at the Palazzo Ricci
-29th: visits an exhibition of Facism in the via Nazionale; watches the washing of the altar ceremony at St Peter's
April
-1st & 2nd: attends the Easter service and the Shutting of the Doors ceremony at St Peter's attended by the Pope
-6th: arrives in Florence
-14th: returns to England
-15-18th: describes everyday life at Sissinghurst
-19th: returns to Oxford
-24th: 'Mummy [Vita Sackville-West] wrote me the most unpleasant letter I have ever had from her - a pi-jaw about my feebleness and independability arising out of failing in the exam. It made me very unhappy but I know she is right'
-30th: 'Daddy [Harold Nicolson] wants me to abandon Modern Greats and do History, it being easier'
May
-5th: argument about 'who is worth knowing' at Oxford and the superiority of Old Etonians
-13th: discusses same-sex relationships with John Sparrow, watches a Nazi propaganda film 'the first produced in England'
-16th: visits the Ashmolean; is offered temporary work (during the first week in July) as a schoolmaster at Summerfields
-17th: accepts an invitation to go to 'Sligger's (Frances Fortescue Urquart, Dean of Balliol) chalet in August
-18th: visits Stowe
-19th: plays tennis with John Pope-Hennessy
-23rd: meets 'Sligger' for the first time; writes about McCausland
-24th: attends a lecture by Sir William Rothenstein on English painting; dines with David Chesney [A digital copy of this entry can be found below]
-25th: dines with Michael Sadler & shown his private collection of paintings [A digital copy of this entry can be found below]
-28th: visits Acropolis Art Exhibition at Ryman's [A digital copy of this entry can be found below]
June
-2nd: attends the 'defenestration of the extension of the Ashmolean Museum' with Lawrence Whistler
-4th: signs the contract on his new digs at Beaumont Street
-6th: meets Ronnie Knox
-8th: mentions that 'Daddy [Harold Nicolson] has been in correspondence with Leigh Ashton about my chances of getting into the Victoria and Albert museum'
-9th: visits Jeremy Hutchinson's family home and is shown their private art collection
-11th: introduces nickname Botticelli for John Pope-Hennessy
-16th: end of term at Oxford; returns to Sissinghurst
-17th: describes the garden and reports on news about Sissinghurst
-19th: visit to Bradfield
-20th: visits a Vuillard exhibition at Tooth's, an exhibition of French painting at the Lefevre Gallery with Duncan Grant; Pierre Roy's exhibition off Berkeley Square; and an exhibition of posters at Burlington Galleries at which Kenneth Clark gives a speech
-21st: returns to Oxford for his viva
-22nd: visits Eton
-26th: attends a party at Kenneth Clark's house: 'all the most interesting people were there'
-27th: visits an exhibition of watercolours in the Leicester Galleries, discusses whether his father (Harold Nicolson) should write a biography of the American financier, Bright Morrow
-29th: begins work as a temporary schoolmaster at Summerfields (Mayfield House)
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| Image Caption | Journal entries for 8-9 January, concerning a visit to London, 1934 |
| Journal entries for 5-8 March concerning Nicolson's life as an undergraduate at Oxford, 1934 |
| Journal entries for 24-26 May concerning various events, 1934 (2pp) |