Holloway

Not far from Lea, this attractive village has one famous daughter, Florence Nightingale, who lived here at Lea Hurst, a 17th-century gabled farmhouse. Although she was named after the city of her birth, Florence spent much of her childhood in the Derbyshire mansion. Florence was the second daughter of William Edward Shore, who had to adopt the name of a distant relative, in order to benefit from his inheritance, including the family seat of Lea Hurst.

Florence Nightingale is most remembered as a pioneer of nursing and a reformer of hospital sanitation methods. But perhaps the most interesting member of the early Nightingalefamily was Peter, born in 1736. His nickname was ‘Mad Peter’ on account of his lifestyle, which consisted of heavy drinking, gambling and horse ridin. However, he was an astute businessman and established a lead smelting business and extended an arm of the Cromford Canal.

Florence’s father left Lea Hurst to her in his will and, after her courageous work in the dreadful conditions of the Crimean War, she retired to the house and spent the next 50 years writing, specifically on the subject of hospital organisation. Florence died in London in 1910 and the house remained in the family until 1940. Still in private hands, Lea Hurst is occasionally opened to the public.