Ware: History, Water and Special Discoveries

Ware is a destination for anyone who wants to combine history, waterscapes and unusual discoveries. Between the River Lee, historic buildings and special places of remembrance, there are many different ways to spend your stay: you can explore cultural collections, follow traces of the 18th century, take a waterbus trip or explore the landscape of Lee Valley Regional Park. This combination helps you choose accommodation suited to your preferred pace of travel.

Cultural History with Surprising Details

A good starting point is Ware Museum. Its collections cover archaeology, geology, photographs, as well as social, industrial and cultural history. Admission is free. This makes it easy to incorporate a museum visit into a day of culture without having to organise your entire stay around a single attraction.

One of the notable historic places is Place House Hall, a Grade I listed medieval manor house in a small walled courtyard in the centre of Ware. The Church of St Mary has a chancel and transepts dating from the 13th century. Both examples show different aspects of the local architectural history. When looking for a holiday apartment, you can therefore consider whether you want to focus primarily on the town’s historic atmosphere or rather on excursions into the countryside.

Ware also preserves unusual stories. The Maltmaker Statue was erected in 2000 to acknowledge the importance of malting in the town’s history. The riverside summerhouses, also known as summer houses, were built in the 18th century by innkeepers and other landowners along the busy High Street. Scott’s Grotto is a Grade I listed site and was built in the 1760s by John Scott, an 18th-century Quaker poet. Amwell House was John Scott’s home from around 1750 until his death.

The Great Bed of Ware is also one of the town’s curious historical references. It is believed to have been built around 1590, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and was probably made as a tourist attraction for Ware’s inns. Details like these give a cultural stay its own distinctive character without requiring you to limit yourself to familiar standard attractions.

River Lee, Water Meadows and Nature Experiences

The landscape around Ware complements the historical themes with a tranquil, open side. King’s Meads in Ware is one of the largest water meadows in Hertfordshire. The Amwell Nature Reserve is also nearby, with reedbeds, grassland, woodland and Great Hardmead Lake. The nature reserve can be reached via the riverside path. Anyone who enjoys switching between local history and nature during a trip can take these different focuses into account when planning each day.

Lee Valley Regional Park extends along the River Lee for 26 miles from Ware in Hertfordshire to East India Dock Basin on the Thames. Activities available there include cycling. The park’s extent therefore provides a broader landscape setting than a visit to one town alone. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home, it makes sense to decide in advance whether you mainly want to discover cultural destinations in Ware or also plan time for activities in Lee Valley Regional Park.

A Special Perspective from the Water

The Ware & Hertford Waterbus travels between Ware and Hertford through the picturesque flood meadows of the River Lee. The route passes through two original locks that are still in operation. The Waterbus is a scheduled service; the journey takes approximately 75 to 90 minutes each way. This provides a clearly defined type of excursion in which the river landscape itself becomes part of the experience. You should take the approximate duration into account when planning a day between Ware and Hertford.

The journey to the area can also be considered when choosing a location: Ware has frequent train services between London Liverpool Street and Hertford East. A holiday apartment in Ware can serve as a base for culture, landscapes and the waterbus trip, without requiring you to commit to just one type of holiday.

More Places for Planning Your Trip

For additional guidance, you can also visit the pages on Hatfield, Elstree, Markyate, Hexton, Borehamwood, Hemel Hempstead, Datchworth and Wigginton.

For the higher-level travel overview: Hertfordshire.