Identity:

Benjamin Ebenezer Nightingale was a builder, painter and glazier.

Life:

Nightingale lived at 24 Price Street, Lambeth, and subsequently at 73 Prince's Street, Lambeth. His building firm was the general contractor for the New Guildhall Council, for Brompton Hospital Chapel and for St Mary's National Girls Infant and Sunday School in Chelsea Grove in 1878. He was the builder of 63 Mount Street for William Lambert in 1881-2 and for Ernest George and Peto of a row of 5 shops in Mount Street in 1888-9.

On 5 November 1877 Nightingale was contracted to undertake the building of JW's White House in Tite Street, designed by E. W. Godwin, for £1,910 [#08923]. However, there was a dispute over the building costs which in the end far exceeded the original estimate due to interference from the London Metropolitan Board of Works [#08869]. On 11 December 1878 Nightingale's solicitor John Mackrell and Co. wrote to Rose pressing for a final settlement of the bill [#12011]. At JW's bankruptcy in May 1879 Nightingale was still owed £655.13.6 for work and labour done and material supplied [#08785].

Bibliography:

Post Office Directory, London, 1861, 1862; UK census 1881, from http://www.familysearch.org (accessed 2004); Chamber Plumbing and Decorating Record and Gazette, vol. 1, no. 2, Monday 1 December 1884; Sheppard, F. W. H. (ed.), Survey of London, vol. 40, The Grosvenor Estate of Mayfair, London, 1980; Sheppard, F. W. H. (ed.), Survey of London, vol. 41, Southern Kensington: Brompton, London, 1983.