The Rhydd

The Rhydd is a big old house in Worcestershire, England. It is in a park with trees and it is on a hill over the River Severn. It used to be called Rhydd Court. The house is now used for people who need care. The gardens are closed most days and people cannot see them. History The name Rhydd may have come from the colour red of the earth nearby where people went from one side of the River Severn to the other. The house was built about 1800. It was very easy to see the big building from the other side of the river. There were trees near the house. It was a good place to take fish from the river. People liked the views from the house very much. There was more building in 1863. The property is now used for people who need care, and other people cannot go to it. The garden is not open, but visits may sometimes be made by special arrangement. People William the Conqueror gave a present of the land to the Lechmere family soon after 1066. The Lechmere family kept the land from father to son to the 19th century. Sir Anthony Lechmere (b. 1766) built and lived at The Rhydd. The architects of The Rhydd were Richard Norman Shaw, David Brandon, and Charles Francis Hansom. Isabella Anne Allen lived at The Rhydd in the 1830s. She liked gardening, poetry, and studying plants. No-one thought about her after her death. A discovery by plant experts at the Royal Horticultural Society in 2022 changed that. They found dried plants, poetry, drawings, and notes in an old book. At first they did not know who did it. But they discovered it was Allen, who lived at The Rhydd'. References Further Reading Richard Lockett (2019). A survey of historic parks and gardens in Worcestershire (2nd ed.). ISBN 978-1-5272-3934-0. OCLC 1181300983. Wikidata Q114435489.