Florence met Jesse Boot when he was holidaying in Jersey. While Jesse had already founded Boots as a pharmacy when they married, Florence expanded the business to include toiletries, stationery, books and gifts - using her experience in Jersey. She introduced library counters where users paid 2d to borrow books.

Florence was passionate about the wellbeing of her employees, many of whom were women, starting social clubs and feeding them a hearty breakfast before they started their workday.

Florence was an important philanthropist who was passionate about the island, donating land for exercise and wellbeing - and many of these sites still exist today, such as Beauport Bay, Coronation Park, and the adjoining Millbrook Playing Field.

Millbrook in turn became the site of a Covid-19 field hospital in 2020.

A plaque honours Florence at her birthplace at 101 Halkett Place.

For more information:

The Lady and the Bay: The Florence Boot Story (substack.com)

For more information or to book a visit, please email:

education@jerseyheritage.org

Together with her brother and sister, she hid away Russian slave workers who had escaped brutal work camps. Most famously, Louisa hid a Russian soldier, Feodor Buryi, known as “Russian Bill”, who became a part of the community. She reportedly said: “I had to do something for another mother’s son”.

Louisa also hid a radio in her bedroom and was known to pass on information from broadcasts to visitors to her shop.

Louisa’s home was searched by German forces and she was killed in a gas chamber at Ravensbrück concentration camp in 1945.

Her life was the inspiration for the 2017 film Another Mother's Son.

She was a successful actress, toured America and became friends with Royalty.

A memorial statue to her can be found in St Saviour's graveyard.

She popularized the concept of the it-girl, and had tremendous influence on early 20th-century popular culture and, possibly, on the careers of notable Hollywood stars such as Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson and, especially, Clara Bow

She has a plaque celebrating her life at No.1 St Saviours Road.

All sessions (both in-school and on-site) offered by the Education team are free of charge.