To the manor born – the nightingale family home: Florence’s sister Parthenope drew this picture of Lea Hurst, the Nightingale family’s manor house in Derbyshire where they spent the summer months every year. The family money came from lead mining in Derbyshire. Florence was particularly keen on Lea Hurst and took an active role in the lives of the people in the local community. The writer Elizabeth Gaskell also stayed here, enjoying the view across the Derwent Valley as she worked on her novel North And South. You can now stay at Lea Hurst as a bed and breakfast guest. The family found the winters in Derbyshire too cold, so Florence’s father bought Embley Park on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire in 1825 as their second home. Parthenope drew another picture of that house, which was grander, and pleased Florence’s socially ambitious mother Fanny. It was there, either inside the house or under a large cedar tree in the garden according to different versions of the story, that at the age of 17 Florence claimed to have received her calling from God. She didn’t know then how to follow her calling, but gradually found it was to be in the field of nursing care. Embley is an independent day and boarding school now.