Nigel Andrew was educated at the University of Cambridge, after which he spent some years as a reference librarian, while also working as a critic and a feature writer for publications including the Times, Listener, Sunday Times, and Guardian/Observer. He then joined the staff of Radio Times before moving on to a full-time position at the Daily Mail. He now concentrates on his blog (Nigeness: A Hedonic Resource) and contributes to Literary Review and Slightly Foxed. His book, The Mother of Beauty: On the Golden Age of English Church Monuments, and Other Matters of Life and Death (2019) was described as "a wonderful book in every way, perfect for anyone interested in churches, in the lost corners of England, or in meditating on mortality."