Embley Park

Embley Park stands in the Hampshire countryside near Romsey, a late-Georgian house bought in 1826 by William Nightingale for his family. The warm, sheltered setting had large gardens and good shooting, while London and relatives’ homes lay within easy reach. Florence Nightingale lived here from 1825 until her death in 1910, and it was at Embley that she said she first heard her divine calling in 1837 beneath a tree in the grounds. The house has Grade II listed status, protecting it from major changes. After the Crimean War Florence returned to Embley before settling in London, and when she died her body was brought back by train to Romsey for burial in East Wellow churchyard. The estate later became a school, first opened in 1946, which merged with others to form Hampshire Collegiate School in 2006 and now operates as Embley under the United Church Schools Trust. Visitors find a plain square house of the late Georgian period with fine gardens and mature trees. The grounds still hold the spot where Florence Nightingale claimed her calling, and the church at East Wellow lies a short distance away. The school occupies the house today, its classrooms and playing fields spread across the sheltered parkland.