Embley Park

Embley Park, now a school, was the family home of Florence Nightingale.

Embley Park near Romsey, Hampshire was the family home of Florence Nightingale from 1825 until her death in 1910. It is also where Florence Nightingale recieved her divine calling from God. It is now a co-educational school for 3 -18 year olds

The House

In 1826, Florence Nightingale's father purchased Embley Park house for the family to use as a permanent residence with Lea Hurst being used as a summer residence.. The house was the larger of the two and was described as:

“a good-sized plain square house of the late Georgian period, the situation warm and sheltered, the gardens very large and exceptionally fine. The shooting was good, London was reasonably near, and Fanny’s two married sisters, Mrs Nicholson at Waverley Abbey near Farnham and Mrs Bonham-Carter at Fair Oak, near Winchester, were within easy reach.”

Florence Nightingale recieved her first divine calling from God in 1837 at Embley whilst she was sat underneath a tree in the grounds. She then stayed here after her return from the Crimea for some time before returning for visits whilst living in London. After her death in London in 1910 her body was brought by train back to Romsey and her coffin carried from the station to the church at East Wellow where she is buried

The School

In 1946 Embley Park became a boarding school for boys between the ages of 11-18. In 1996, the school joined with an all girls school in based in Romsey formally known as La Sagesse Convent.

It then become an educational school consisting of a junior school (ages 3-11), a senior school (ages 11-16) and a sixth form college (ages 16-18).

In 2004, the school underwent another merger with The Atherley School. The merger of these schools formed a new school renamed Hampshire Collegiate School, part of the United Church Schools Trust whose headmaster was David Chapman (the former Embley Park headmaster) and is now Hector McDonald. An investment of £14 million expanded the senior school and a created a brand new junior school, since then a new permanent astro-turf pitch has been built and there are further plans for expansion on the site.

External links

• Hampshire Collegiate School website