大象传媒

It was the unexpected World War One treatment centre created by a woman determined to do her bit. Florence Rudge's home ended up accommodating 3,600 patients, with no deaths recorded.

It only took a matter of weeks for the widow to turn her country home, Abbey Manor, in to a hospital for injured British, Commonwealth and American soldiers during the First World War, ready to receive her first patients in the autumn of 1914. She even moved out of her home, so that she could free up space, marching across the grounds from her temporary accommodation to run the wards - for a long time, out of her own pocket.

At its peak, Abbey Manor had 145 beds, including a conservatory turned in to an operating theatre!

Nicola Goodwin hears from historians Barrie Baldelli and Professor Maggie Andrews, as well as Jill Phipps, the current lady of the manor, showing the surprising legacy of this hidden Worcestershire landmark.

Image credit: The Rudge Family/Barrie Baldelli.