Ware

Ware is a town in Hertfordshire. The site has been occupied since at least 4000 BC. The Romans had a settlement at Ware. Ware is said to be one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Europe. It has become a commuting town for London.

Understand

Ware, in northern Hertfordshire (in the East Hertfordshire district), had a population of 19,000 in 2011.

Get in

Ware can be reached by car or bus from the A10 road, which borders the south and west of town, and by rail.

By train

The rail line, Abellio Greater Anglia, connects 🌍 Ware station to the rest of England and Wales and Scotland. London Liverpool Street is about a hour's journey and can be reached from Harlow.

By plane

The nearest airport is Stansted Airport (STN IATA), which can also be reached by rail via Tottenham Hale.

Get around

Ware can be easily traversed by car and even by walking. Arriva runs bus service inside Ware and to surrounding communities.

See

Ware has many listed buildings by Historic England, many timber framed, four grade I, fifteen grade II* and 181 grade II, including the remains of a 14th-century friary, now the local council offices and a conference centre called The Priory and Fletcher's Lea. Restoration work has shown that it dates from the 13th century. Opposite the priory is the large 14th-century parish church of St. Mary. It is known for its elaborate font with large carved stone figures.

  • 🌍 Riverside gazebos (along the north bank of the Lee Navigation). The town is also famous for its many 18th-century gazebos, several of which have been restored.

Some of the buildings along the High Street date back to the 14th century. Ware used to have many coaching inns and passageways between some shops lead to their stables. Many of these passageways also have former maltings. Crib Street has a good sequence of timber framed buildings which have been restored since the 1970s.

  • 🌍 Scott's Grotto, 28/34 Scotts Rd,SG12 9JQ, ☏ +44 1920 464 131. Apr-Sep: Saturdays and Bank Holiday Mondays 2-4:30PM. Grade 1 Grotto created by the Quaker poet John Scott in 1794. A series of interconnected chambers, extending 67 ft (20 m) into the chalk. Described by English Heritage as one of the finest grottos in the country. Β£2.
  • 🌍 The Ware Museum, 89 High St, ☏ +44 1920 487848. Tu W Sa 11AM-4PM; Su 2-4PM; M Th F closed. The museum is partially housed in the former Priory Lodge and partly inside a Second World War Command Bunker used to co-ordinate local defences and respond to air-raids. The museum contains many interesting items from the history of Ware, including Roman archaeology, exhibits relating to the Second World War and Allen & Hanburys pharmaceuticals. There are also a number of exhibits for children and many special activity days throughout the year.
  • 🌍 Bluecoat Yard, SG12 9HL, ☏ +44 1992 504 331. In Bluecoat Yard is Place House, Ware's oldest extant surviving building. It dates from the early 14th century, with additions in the 16th and 17th centuries, and was once Ware's Manor House. It has a crown post roof.

Do

  • 🌍 RSPB Rye Meads, Hoddesdon. Spot common tern, kestrel, owls and kingfisher at this bird reserve in the lush green Lee Valley.

Buy

  • 🌍 Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe, 17 High St, SG12 9BP, ☏ +44 1920 462 314. 10AM-5PM (closed W). Dedicated to nostalgic sweets

Eat

Drink

Pubs

Ware being 1 days ride from London has these coaching inns:

Other pubs in Ware's High Street:

Pubs in North Ware:

Pubs in South Ware:

  • 🌍 The King’s Mead, Hertford Road, SG12 9LE (follow the A119 to Hertford), ☏ +44 1920 896 800. McMullens Pub overlooking the nature reserve of the same name.
  • 🌍 Spread Eagle, 37 Amwell End, SG12 9HP (Near the level crossing), ☏ +44 1992 303 716. McMullen

Tea & coffee

  • 🌍 Bridget's Tea Room, The Garden Room, The Priory,SG12 9AL (Accessed from the east end on the Priory), ☏ +44 7511 297 025. M-Sa 10:30AM-3:30PM.

Sleep

  • 🌍 Premier Inn Ware hotel, Marsh Ln, SG12 9LQ (Next to the Beefeater), ☏ 0333 003 3405 (domestic).
  • 🌍 Fanhams Hall, Fanhams Hall Road, SG12 7PZ (Take Fanhams Hall Road out of Ware), ☏ +44 1920 460511. Built as a manor house, it has 77 hotel rooms and a dining hall. Weddings and parties can be booked. Fanhams Hall has extensive gardens on the grounds. Pricing for various services vary, but tend to be expensive.

Cope

Go next

  • To the north Puckeridge then Buntingford, 10 miles, along the A10.
  • To the south Hoddesdon along the A10.
  • To the west Hertford, 3 miles.
Routes through Ware
Cambridge ← Buntingford ←  N  S  β†’ Hoddesdon β†’ London


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