Son of Frederick Nettlefold, a British industrialist and one of the Nettlefolds of the Birmingham engineering firm Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds. Born in Hastings, he attended Eastbourne College, Corpus Christi College, Oxford and Berlin and Heidelberg Universities. For a time he trained steeplechasers, before settling in Kenya, where he bought Juja House, Ruiru in 1919. His London address was 1, Cambridge Gate and in the country he lived at Chelwood Vachery, Nutley, Sussex. Nettlefold was Chairman of Samuel Courtauld and Co. 1910-13, and of Courtaulds Ltd 1913-27. He was Master of the Leathersellers' Company 1936-37. He had a large collection of paintings, including a number of Wilsons, some of doubtful attribution, which he donated to the National Museum Wales, the Royal Academy, the Fitzwilliam and other museums in his later years. A four-volume catalogue of his collection was published between 1933 and 1938 (Grundy & Roe 1938).
