By the second half of the 18th century Rydal was deemed to have ‘picturesque qualities’. Sir Daniel le Fleming had pre-empted this movement by 100 years when, in 1668, he created a summer house around the small waterfall in Rydal beck. The summer house was constructed with a window to provide a frame for the view of this delightful stretch of water.
Sir Daniel’s accounts give a detailed account of the construction and it is thought to be the earliest known example of a Viewing Station in England, pre-dating by almost a century the Picturesque Movement.
The single span bridge over the beck and the game larder also date to this period.
