First Time Buyer Nurse Moves to Former Derby Hospital Site Where She Trained

A first time buyer, who undertook three years’ of training at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary (DRI) to become a nurse, has moved back to the city centre site, which is now Wavensmere Homes’ £175m Nightingale Quarter.

Karen Hill, age 56, has enjoyed 38-years with the NHS and continues to work as a Lead Nurse for Professional Standards for the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton. At age 18, she moved into the student nurses accommodation on site at the DRI. She qualified and moved out in 1989, which was 20 years before the NHS vacated the 18.5-acre historic site. Miss Hill has now become one of the latest Nightingale Quarter residents, where the final phases of 925 houses and apartments are underway. Her fourth floor two-bedroom apartment is located within the Fox House building, with views looking onto the landscaped gardens and acclaimed Pepperpot restaurant.  

It means so much to finally own my own home. I always say I have the best job in the world, but until receiving inheritance, I hadn’t found it possible to save up a big enough deposit to get on the housing ladder, while also renting. I was pleased to qualify for HSBC’s Energy Efficient Homes mortgage, which will take me to my anticipated retirement age.

Having grown up in Westhouses, rural north Derbyshire, I’ve enjoyed the contrast and convenience of living closer to the city centre for many years now. In fact, the rented home I moved from was only half a mile away in Wilmorton. As you start to get older, you crave more simplicity and ease, with everything you need in easy reach.

None of my friends and family are surprised that I’ve fallen in love with the Nightingale Quarter development. The three years I lived here as a student nurse during the 1980s bring back such fond memories. Since that time, it’s been a passion of mine to highlight Florence Nightingale’s influence on Derby. I played a part in naming the Florence Nightingale Community Hospital, which is right next door. I was also involved in her plaque tribute at Derby Cathedral, and will be helping to organise a commemorative event next May.

Wavensmere Homes has done a beautiful job of turning the old DRI into a gorgeous residential complex that I feel safe in. Living in a new apartment gives me the peace of mind that I won’t need to worry about replacing the boiler or windows, but I would say the best part of living here is the view. The hospital ward I worked on was where the Pepperpot restaurant is – and that’s what I can see! It’s wonderful for people watching and seeing the sun rise and set.

The M&S at The Derbion is my corner shop, and now there’s also a handy new Tesco Express opposite the development entrance on London Road. I’m in an overwhelming state of happiness to finally be personalising a home of my own with new furniture, trinkets and décor items, as well as lots of books.

– Karen Hill, Nightingale Quarter resident

Nightingale Quarter – which has a DE1 postcode – is one of the UK’s most significant residential regeneration projects. It was the double winner in the conservation category at the Civic Society’s annual ‘A Brighter City of Derby’ Awards for the painstaking restoration to two pepperpot buildings along London Road – abandoned relics from the former hospital, which opened in 1894. After laying derelict for a decade, Wavensmere Homes purchased the vacant site in 2019. While the vast majority of the Florence Nightingale-designed Victorian hospital had been bulldozed, the Birmingham-headquartered firm pledged to save and restore the imposing pepperpots, despite one of the buildings being previously consented for demolition.  

The vast development has been sympathetically designed by Gould Singleton Architects. The restored Pepperpot North features a large independently run luxury dining restaurant, while Pepperpot South has been transformed into a residents’ gym and community meeting room. A partnership with Down to Earth Derby has also created an on-site nature-based community garden, which is planted and maintained by residents and local school children.

98% of the well-specified homes are now sold, with prices for one- and two-bedroom apartments starting from £185,000. Nightingale Quarter’s marketing suite and two show homes are open from 10am – 5pm Tuesday through to Saturday, accessed off 128 London Road, Derby DE1 2QQ. For further information, or to book an in-person, or virtual appointment, call 01332 321 255, or email info@wavensmere.co.uk