Ware between Architectural History and the River Lee

In Ware, architectural and industrial history sit alongside the landscape along the River Lee. The themes range from collections and historic buildings to water meadows, a nearby nature reserve and a seasonal trip on the water. When planning your trip, you can first consider whether you are mainly interested in the town’s history, its natural areas or both.

Museum and Architectural History

Ware Museum brings together archaeology, geology and photographs, as well as records of social, industrial and cultural history. The collections therefore offer different perspectives on the past and society. Admission to the museum is free; check visitor information before your visit.

Place House Hall is a Grade I listed medieval manor house. It stands in a small walled courtyard in the centre of Ware. The Church of St Mary also offers a specific architectural detail: its chancel and transepts date from the 13th century. Ware Priory, meanwhile, is a restored building on the riverbank.

Ware’s distinctive buildings include the riverside gazebos, also known as summerhouses. Innkeepers and other landowners built them along the busy High Street in the 18th century. This makes them a subject in their own right alongside the manor house, church and priory: they represent another facet of local architectural history, connected with the street and its landowners at the time.

The history of malting also has a visible presence in Ware. The Maltmaker Statue was erected in 2000 in recognition of the importance of malting to the town’s history. The historical dating of the Great Bed of Ware, however, remains explicitly uncertain: it is thought to have been built around 1590, during the reign of Elizabeth I. It was probably intended as a tourist attraction for Ware’s inns.

Two further historical details are associated with John Scott. Amwell House was the Quaker poet’s home from around 1750 until his death. Scott’s Grotto in Ware was built by John Scott in the 1760s and is a Grade I listed site. These two details add a connection to an 18th-century poet to Ware’s architectural history.

Water Landscape and Nature

King’s Meads in Ware is one of the largest water meadows in Hertfordshire. The nearby Amwell Nature Reserve is also within easy reach. The reserve can be reached from Ware via the riverside path. Its landscapes include reedbeds, grassland and woodland; Great Hardmead Lake is also within the reserve. The water meadows around Ware and the different habitats of the nearby reserve can therefore be considered as two distinct nature themes.

Lee Valley Regional Park stretches for 26 miles along the River Lee, from Ware in Hertfordshire to the East India Dock Basin on the Thames. Cycling is one of the activities in the park. This wide expanse gives Ware’s local setting a broader landscape context, without requiring a particular cycling route through the town.

Trips on the River Lee and Getting There

The seasonal Ware & Hertford Waterbus operates a scheduled service between Ware and Hertford through the scenic floodplains of the River Lee. Its route passes through two original locks that are still in operation. The trip takes approximately 75 to 90 minutes each way. Check departure dates and the timetable before your trip.

Ware has frequent train services between London Liverpool Street and Hertford East. Check the latest timetables when planning your trip. Together with the seasonal waterbus service, this offers a contrast between a train connection and a longer journey on the river: the two services use different modes of transport, and an approximate journey time is provided for the waterbus.

If you are looking for a hotel in Ware, you can plan your trip around one of these areas of interest: historic buildings and museum collections, or the landscape along the River Lee and a seasonal trip on the water. This helps you decide which themes will shape your stay before looking for a suitable hotel deal.

Discover more destinations: Redbourn, Royston, Tewin, Wadesmill, Broxbourne, Benington, Kings Langley, Welwyn Garden City.

For the regional travel overview: Hertfordshire.