Take a walk and learn about the Lady of the Lamp

This spring, 199 years after her birth, the Florence Nightingale Museum has a new walking tour, giving members of the public the chance to follow in the footsteps of the mother of modern nursing and discover many of the places connected with the legendary ‘Lady with the Lamp’.

The tour chronicles the back story of this iconic statistician, prolific letter-writer and social campaigner and the London she knew almost 200 years ago.

From the house where she spent the last days of her life, to the hospital where she founded her nursing school, the walking tour promises some fascinating insights into the life and work of a remarkable woman etched across the city where she lived.

It will cover her presentation at court at Buckingham Palace to her humanitarian work during the Crimean War, as well as her role in workhouse reforms.

The two-hour walk begins at the Mayfair home, where Florence lived for a large part of her life and then travels to Piccadilly Buckingham Palace, and Whitehall, before finishing at the Florence Nightingale Museum.

Here visitors can end their tour seeing some of Florence’s personal belongings including her pet owl Athena and her lamp from Scutari Hospital, explore the museum and experience the new exhibition on Spanish flu which shines a light on nursing through history’s deadliest pandemic.

This display was recently been shortlisted as ‘Temporary Exhibition of the Year’ in the 2019 Museum and Heritage Awards.

David Green, director, Florence Nightingale Museum said: “This Blue Badge tour is an incredible way for people to really understand Florence Nightingale and the incredible impact she had. There is so much more to know about Florence and her complex life which is why we wanted to develop this walking tour.

“Our experienced Blue Badge Guide, Julie Chandler, is the perfect fount of knowledge, explaining the significance of beef tea and importance of Westminster Abbey among the other hidden stories about Florence within London and visitors can see the places for themselves.

This guided walk is the perfect way for the Florence Nightingale Museum to help people to gain a wider understanding of her role in modern nursing and her important personal history in shaping so many parts of London, UK history and across the world.”

Chandler, who created the tour, said: “Florence Nightingale is one of the most interesting women in history, and really influenced nursing as we know it today.

Partnering with the Florence Nightingale Museum has been an incredible way to piece together Florence’s life through a map of London and show people how she really did make an impact in her lifetime and beyond.

There are many elements to this tour that it will appeal to a range of people, from anyone generally interested in her story to tourists, children and those involved in the nursing profession.”

The walks are on:

• Sunday, May 12
• Saturday, June 22
• Tuesday, July 2
• Saturday, July 20
• Wednesday, August 14
• Thursday, September 12
• Saturday, September 21
• Friday, October 18

For tour details go to : www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/whats-on/florence-nightingales-london/?v=79cba1185463
Bookings are required.

For bookings and enquiries regarding bespoke tours, email Kristin@florence-nightingale.co.uk or call 020 7188 4400.