His siblings were the celebrated painter Ben (1894–1982); Anthony (1897–1918), who died of wounds in France during the First World War; and Annie Mary "Nancy" (1899–1978), artist and wife of the poet Robert Graves.

[1] Kit Nicholson was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, from 1917 to 1922, and then read architecture at St John's College, Cambridge.

[2]: 53 Between 1933 and 1934 Nicholson worked on the design and construction of a new studio for Augustus John at Fryern Court, near Fordingbridge in Hampshire.

[4] In 1935 and 1936 he designed and built the premises of the London Gliding Club at Dunstable in Bedfordshire, which showed the influence of the German architect Eric Mendelsohn.

[2]: 27  In 1945 he flew a Hellcat to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to take up a position as commander of the Katukurunda base of the Fleet Air Arm.