Ware
From Free net encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Ware (disambiguation).
Template:GBdot Image:Arms-ware.jpg
Ware is a small town of around 17,000 people in Hertfordshire, close to Hertford. The town was once a centre of malting. It has a fourteenth-century priory, now the local council offices and a conference centre. Recent restoration work has shown that the 'priory' - it was really a friary - dates from the thirteenth century. Opposite the priory is the large fourteenth century parish church of St. Mary. It is known for its elaborate font with large carved stone figures. The town is also famous for its riverside gazebos, many of which have been restored recently. It is also famous for the Great Bed of Ware, It was mentioned by Shakespeare and is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Ware is also mentioned in the Canterbury Tales. GlaxoSmithKline has a large plant in the town.
Archaeology has shown that Ware has been occupied since at least the Mesolithic period (which ended about 4,000 BC). The Romans had a sizeable settlement here and foundations of several buildings, including a temple, have been found. A well preserved Roman skeleton of a teenage girl has been found as well. Ware was on Ermine Street, the Roman road from London to Lincoln. The modern name of the town dates from the Anglo-Saxon period when 'weirs' were built to stop the invading Vikings from escaping in their longships after defeat by Alfred the Great in a battle near Ware. In the Domesday survey of 1085 it was the second largest town in Hertfordshire. It later became England's premier town for the making of malt. It was also a great coaching town, being on the Great North Road, less than a day's journey from London. In the seventeenth century Ware became the source of the New River, a canal that brought fresh water to London. England's first turnpike (toll) road ran from Wadesmill to Ware. Today the town's main employer is GlaxoSmithKline, but there are also many other small factories. It is also a commuting town for London which is just to the south of Ware.
Ware Football club play in the Ryman League Division Two and reside at Wodson Park, an out of town sports development. Their original ground known as the Buryfields was moved to make way for expansion of the GlaxoSmithKline site. Their official website can be found in the links section
During two weeks of the summer, Ware Council holds the 'Ware Festival' culminating in the 'Rock at the Priory' a one day open air Music Festival that grows each year in popularity.
The motto on the town's coat-of-arms is a pun on the town's name; 'Cave' is Latin for 'beware'.
Twinning : Cormeilles-en-Parisis (France) ; Wülfrath (Germany)