St Mary, Rydal

St Mary
Rydal
Cumbria

St Marys can be found about a mile and a half North West of Ambleside, set back off the A591. Just up the road, less than a hundred yards in fact, Rydal Mount is set back in the trees. Built in 1824 under the guidance of Lady Le Fleming, on a spot chosen by William Wordsworth, and adjoining Dora's Field, this church is set amongst some of the Lake District's finest countryside. The gallery, still in place at the rear of the church, was erected for the sole use of the Le Fleming family. Unlike so many churches in the area, the gallery was never removed.

William Wordsworth was Church Warden here from 1833 to 1834, and regularly worshipped here. The church is built upon a rocky outcrop, totally unsuitable for burials, and as such does not have a grave yard. The field next to the church was originally purchased by Wordsworth to build a house on...however the house was never built, and when Dora his daughter died in 1847, he dedicated the field as a wild flower meadow, planting numerous daffodils with his wife. The National Trust now manage the meadow, which is accessible through the church yard.