Ware Museum
Ware Museum is a compact, characterful museum that captures the long, layered story of one of Hertfordshire’s oldest towns. Set within a 15th‑century timber‑framed building known as the Priory Lodge, it carries its own architectural intrigue: the crooked beams and uneven floors are original, giving visitors the sense of stepping directly into Ware’s medieval past. One of the museum’s most unusual facts is its connection to the Great Bed of Ware, a famously oversized Elizabethan bed once celebrated across Europe. Although the original bed now resides elsewhere, the museum displays detailed models and stories that explain how it became a symbol of the town’s identity. Inside, the galleries explore Ware’s role in the malting industry, with tools, photographs, and personal accounts showing how malt production shaped the town’s economy for centuries. There are also Roman artefacts discovered locally, including pottery and coins that reveal Ware’s early settlement history. A highlight is the preserved Second World War command bunker in the garden, an atmospheric space that illustrates local civil‑defence efforts.
Ware United Kingdom
Ware Museum is right in the middle of one of Hertfordshire's prettiest old towns. You will find it at 89 High Street, Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 9AL. It is housed in the Priory Lodge, a historic building right at the entrance to Ware Priory, opposite St Mary's Church and just a short walk from the River Lea. You cannot miss it if you are strolling down the High Street from the town centre towards the station. It is a great base for exploring the area because Ware itself is full of history. Right next to the museum you have the beautiful Ware Priory and its gardens, a 14th century building that is now used for events and has lovely riverside grounds. Just up the road is Scott's Grotto, the largest shell grotto in the UK. It is a Grade I listed series of six underground chambers decorated with shells, flints and coloured glass, built in the 18th century by the poet John Scott. If you want to go a bit further, you are only a few miles from Hertford Castle, a Norman castle with a lovely free park, and Hertford Museum in the old town. The whole Lee Valley is on your doorstep too, with Rye House Gatehouse, the old Tudor gatehouse where Catherine Parr once lived, and Lee Valley Park for walks and boating. It is an easy, relaxed town to wander and there is always something historic around the corner.