Florence Nightingale’s lamp lights up Hansons

A simple desk lamp shone brightly recently as it went under the hammer at Hansons Derbyshire Auction Centre for £17,000!

The 19th century brass lamp measuring 38cm in height, played a big part in the story surrounding Florence Nightingale. Miss Nightingale’s writings, perhaps made by the light of a candle in this lamp, place her as a pioneer of nursing and a reformer of hospital sanitation methods, eventually going on to establish the first School of Nursing.

Charles Hanson said he felt honoured to tell the story of the lamp. “It passed to two sisters who worked for her, as Florence left her Derbyshire home of Lea Hurst, being instructed ‘to take best care of it’. The lamp ignited our Derbyshire Auction Room as bidding was heavily contested, in the room, on the phones and on the internet – a bidder from the USA narrowly missed winning the lot, as it went to a UK buyer for an astounding £17,000!”

Charles went on to say, “It was truly a delight to handle such a unique item, which has played a part in the history of one of Derbyshire’s truly inspirational characters.”