Nicholas Davies 1955 - 2021
‘CONVENTIONAL’ was never going to be a term used to describe Nicholas, born on July 11, 1955, to Ann and Peter Davies. He was born above JJ Davies and Sons Ltd, the china shop in Northbrook Street, Newbury.
Brought up in the countryside, Nick and his brother Tim and sisters Nini (Cornelia) and Emma were outdoorsy children. They particularly enjoyed spring and summer outings to the downs around Inkpen with their father Peter, searching for and learning to recognise wild orchids.
Coming from a musical family, it was only a matter of time before Nick got a scholarship as a chorister at St George’s Choir School at Windsor, where he routinely sang for the Queen and her family.
Later, he went to St Edward’s School, Oxford, and from there to Birmingham University, where he read music.
Nick’s musical tastes stretched beyond classical, encompassing jazz, funk and Stockhausen. The cello was his first instrument, and he also played the piano and synthesizer. He played bass guitar with a band called Haze. For several years, Nick ran The Hungerford Wine Company. It was during this time that he met Alice King, who was to become his first wife.
Nick and Alice had three children, Louis, Oscar and Felix, whom he adored and was immensely proud of.
His adult life was not without its challenges. After Nick and Alice divorced they became amicable friends again.
Nick’s second marriage was to Mita Bhatt, who brought her two children, Archie and Ella, to join the family. After that marriage they became good friends.
Later in life Nick developed MS (multiple sclerosis). Throughout this devastating illness he remained stoical yet sociable. While he could still get out he reported on musical events for the Newbury Weekly News.
As he became physically less able he extended his activities into the expanding online world. Probably the best-known thing he did in recent years was his My Easy Suppers Facebook page, which reached 30,000 followers. The premise of this page was: “If I’m disabled and can cook this stuff, then so can you!” He used to buy simple ingredients and produce a delicious-looking plate of food to post on the page. Many people engaged with the page and told him how inspirational they found it. In 2020, Nick’s health really began to go downhill and he eventually died in Salisbury Hospice on March 11, 2021.