Two legends' graves...

It wasn't until recently that I realised that both Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer of the Sherlock Holmes books, and Victorian nurse, Florence Nightingale are both buried in Hampshire. With regards to the former, I like the little touch that there is a pipe at his grave stone. It's elementary!



Florence Nightingale is buried with her family at a small church, St. Margaret's, west of Romsey. She grew up in the area and requested that she was buried there. There is a virtual cache at the location and the listing describes how she came to be there thus:

"Florence’s relatives declined the offer of burial in Westminster Abbey, as she left directions that her funeral should be of the simplest possible kind, and that her body should be accompanied to the grave by not more than two persons. She is buried beside her father and mother. The body was borne to the grave by six of her "children" of the British Army-sergeants drawn from the several regiments of the Guards. Her desire that only two persons should follow the coffin could not be fulfilled. The funeral arrangements were kept as private as was possible; but there was a wreath of flowers from people of every kind, age and degree, and the lane and churchyard were filled with a great crowd of men, women, and children, most of them poorly dressed." What an inspirational woman!