Gardening, golf and greatness

A golfer who took up the sport in his 50s for health reasons, in 1927 Samuel Ryder donated the Ryder Cup for the first official Ryder Cup match between Great Britain and America. Every two years, 24 of the best golfers from Europe and the United States go head-to-head in a series of match-plays. The Ryder Cup competition spans nearly 90 years and has become one of the world’s greatest sporting events.

Samuel Ryder was an active participant in his community, contributing through political engagement and social responsibility. These were hallmarks of Ryder’s life. A self-made businessman, a caring employer and a philanthropist, he chose St Albans for its rail connections and saw his business thrive. His vision was to make it affordable for ordinary people to grow vegetables and flowers, by selling penny packets of seed by mail order under the slogan “if a Pennyworth is enough, why buy more?” By 1910 Ryders were sending out a million copies of their catalogue all over the world, and an average of 10,000 seed packets in a 12 hour day. The famous Ryder Seed Hall, now Grade II listed, is still on Holywell Hill, next to the hotel bearing his name.

Ryder was an enlightened employer, providing employees, many of whom were women, with good working conditions. He was one of the first employers to provide their workforce with breaks and paid sick leave. He was determined that everyone should benefit from his success, especially the less well off in St Albans. He supported city charities caring for the poor, the elderly, and women whose husbands were away fighting during the First World War. He became a city councillor, magistrate and in 1905, the Mayor of St Albans.

The origins of one of the most prestigious events in world sport are rooted in St Albans. The Ryder Cup, commissioned from Mappin & Webb, weighs 4 lb and stands 17” high. The golfer on top of the cup is not Ryder himself – it’s Abe Mitchell, the Verulam Golf Club professional he hired as tutor.

Samuel Ryder is buried in the Hatfield Road Cemetery. He is remembered not only as sponsor of an international golf competition but as one of St Albans’ most notable citizens, a successful and caring businessman, philanthropist and progressive politician.

To celebrate his many accomplishments, we believe Ryder deserves a memorial, a point of interest for residents and visitors alike, in the city he made his home. The Civic Society is supporting the Samuel Ryder Memorial campaign and we’re asking local people to sign the petition asking for a permanent memorial in the city centre.