[2][3][4] Born in 1820, Nicoll started his career in trade, becoming the owner of sanitary works, as well as an inventor and maker of patented appliances for the interception and deodorization of sewage, and the filtration of water.
At the time of his death in 1891, he was also involved in bringing out a patent for paving roadways with hard Australian jarrah-wood, which he predicted to be cheap, clean and safe for horses.
[4] Nicoll first stood for election was a Radical candidate at Frome at a by-election in 1854—caused by the death of the sitting Whig Robert Edward Boyle.
[2][3][5] However, at the next general election in 1857, Nicoll successfully gained the seat, defeating Boyle and the Conservative candidate, Edward Thynne, with a majority of 70 votes, or 21.5%.
[4] He also served as a Justice of the Peace for Middlesex and Westminster, chairman of the Poor Law Amendment Society, and a life governor of many London charitable institutions.