Florence Nightingale's childhood home in the Peak District is on sale for £3.75million

Lea Hurst in Holloway is a Grade II listed house with 13 bedrooms, set in approximately set in 19.23 acres of beautifully landscaped garden and parkland with panoramic views over the Derwent Valley.Peter Kay and his family have owned the estate since 2011 and spent three years renovating the house to turn it back into a family home and another 12 months recreating the Victorian gardens. They have amassed a substantial collection of historic letters written by Florence, pictures, drawings and furniture connected with the house and the Nightingale family.

The family has three children, two of whom were born in Florence Nightingale’s parents’ bedroom – they were the first children to live at Lea Hurst since Florence and her sister Parthenope.

Peter Kay said: “It has been a great pleasure and privilege to have owned the Lea Hurst estate, in Derbyshire’s beautiful Peak District, for the past 13 years.

“We were drawn to Lea Hurst by its grand early Victorian gothic architectural styling and its stunning position overlooking the Derwent Valley. But it was the fact that this house was once the beloved home of one of our most important historical figures, Florence Nightingale, that made this an irresistible purchase for me. Florence wrote that “it breaks my heart to leave Lea Hurst”. As our family moves on to a new chapter in Asia, we really do feel the resonance of these words!

“But the most satisfying thing for us has been turning the house back into a family home for the first time since Florence and her sister Parthenope were running around here in the 1820s. Our youngest two children were born in the house. It has been a wonderful place for our children to grow up in.”

Seb Hipwood, co-founder of Blue Book Agency comments: “After 16 years in this business, it’s rare to encounter a house with more historical significance than Lea Hurst, which proudly celebrates its illustrious former inhabitant, Florence Nightingale. This fantastic Grade II listed historic family home is set in an upliftingly elevated location with splendid panoramic views over the Derwent Valley on one side and mature parkland on the other.

“A thorough and assiduously researched renovation has been conducted by the current owners who have employed local craftsmen to sensitively restore Lea Hurst. The result is a beautifully finished family home with excellent flow and quintessential period features throughout.”

Florence Nightingale’s father Wiliam Shore inherited Lea Hurst from his great-uncle Peter Nightingale and subsequently adopted the family name of Nightingale. At that time, the site was occupied by a 17th century farmhouse which Wlliam expanded and absorbed into the current house built between 1820-21.

Florence had a happy childhood at Lea Hurst and gained formative experience when she conducted home visits to the sick and poor in the surrounding villages. This experience was a key driver in her ambition to transform the quality of nursing care along with improving domestic sanitary conditions.

After the family moved to Embley Park in Hampshire in 1825, they retained Lea Hurst, as a summer house, spending around three months per year there. Famously publicity-shy, Florence was particularly drawn to the picturesque sanctuary that her beloved childhood home provided throughout her life, and she chose to travel incognito directly to Derbyshire following her return from the Crimea in 1856, allegedly arriving at Lea Hurst completely unannounced carrying her suitcases up the long drive.

The house remained in the family until 1946 and the last occupier was Louis Hilary Shore Nightingale. Following Louis’s death, Lea Hurst became a home for retired nurses in 1951 and was later purchased by the Royal Surgical Society to become a nursing home, which operated until 2004.

For further information, visit: https://bluebookagency.com/properties/lea-hurst/