St. Mary, Ware.
Malt and merchants, beer and a bed.
In Roman times Ermine Street crossed the river Lea close to Ware Lock, west of where the church now stands. The High Street is full of half timbered inns that catered for travellers, though the architectural heritage left by malt and corn has been destroyed by a council who see the town’s future in commuters. Even so, for many people it’s the three metre wide Great Bed of Ware that first comes to mind, still advertising the town as it was originally made to do in 1590, though rarely revisiting from its Victoria and Albert museum home. A considerable amount of a Franciscan friary remains within the council offices which stand near the picturesque river behind the informative museum. Over the road stands the church; a wide building, with full height transepts, a sure sign of local wealth and pride. Remaining from an alien priory suppressed in 1414, parts of the chancel and transepts are thirteenth century, but all of the church was extended or rebuilt in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, primarily the nave and aisles, then the tower and clerestory, and lastly the chancel chapels. These volumes - all topped by battlements - mass together well seen from all sides, with two rood stair turrets standing high over the east end of the nave, all mounting up towards the Hertfordshire spike on the tower.. Much of what we see is due to George Godwin’s 1849 restoration: the big end windows of the transepts were added then, and all of the other windows renewed. Sadly, most of the gravestones have been removed, an aesthetic, historic and symbolic loss; tombstones remind us that the town’s dead lie here, tell us who they were, and visually anchor the church in place. A few stones have been pushed to the margins, and the tomb of Edward Chuck, the town’s principal maltster who died in 1852, remains to the west of the tower, a sarcophagus standing on lion’s paws. Ware malt was what gave the beer known as London porter its colour and flavour, and the maltsters made enough money to pay for much of the work done during the Victorian period, including the stained glass in east and west windows.
Malt and merchants, beer and a bed.
In Roman times Ermine Street crossed the river Lea close to Ware Lock, west of where the church now stands. The High Street is full of half timbered inns that catered for travellers, though the architectural heritage left by malt and corn has been destroyed by a council who see the town’s future in commuters. Even so, for many people it’s the three metre wide Great Bed of Ware that first comes to mind, still advertising the town as it was originally made to do in 1590, though rarely revisiting from its Victoria and Albert museum home. A considerable amount of a Franciscan friary remains within the council offices which stand near the picturesque river behind the informative museum. Over the road stands the church; a wide building, with full height transepts, a sure sign of local wealth and pride. Remaining from an alien priory suppressed in 1414, parts of the chancel and transepts are thirteenth century, but all of the church was extended or rebuilt in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, primarily the nave and aisles, then the tower and clerestory, and lastly the chancel chapels. These volumes - all topped by battlements - mass together well seen from all sides, with two rood stair turrets standing high over the east end of the nave, all mounting up towards the Hertfordshire spike on the tower.. Much of what we see is due to George Godwin’s 1849 restoration: the big end windows of the transepts were added then, and all of the other windows renewed. Sadly, most of the gravestones have been removed, an aesthetic, historic and symbolic loss; tombstones remind us that the town’s dead lie here, tell us who they were, and visually anchor the church in place. A few stones have been pushed to the margins, and the tomb of Edward Chuck, the town’s principal maltster who died in 1852, remains to the west of the tower, a sarcophagus standing on lion’s paws. Ware malt was what gave the beer known as London porter its colour and flavour, and the maltsters made enough money to pay for much of the work done during the Victorian period, including the stained glass in east and west windows.
Inside the church all is painted white, making the two windows at the ends stand out. Both are colourful works by William Wailes of 1849-50, the better one being that over the altar depicting the crucifixion surrounded by scenes from the passion, whilst that in the tower contains two scenes from Christ’s life. Early Victorian glass has few fans, which is unfair, as it often boasts good strong gutsy design and colour to match; it has the courage of its convictions, and succeeds on its own terms, and is preferable to the later safer mass produced windows that take no risks. There is glass here from late in the century by Christopher Whall, the sort of arts and crafts influenced work that remains popular. Both the “te deum” window in the north transept and the Boer War memorial in the north aisle are good in detail as one would expect, but the former particularly is lacking in the movement needed to tie such a large design together.
Beneath this window is the niche probably meant for the tomb of the late thirteenth century donor of the transept; next to this is an ornate early Fifteenth century cusped niche, perhaps a credence. In this is a kneeling figure found in a local garden which probably originated on a demolished late Elizabethan tomb in the church. For such a big town church there is a dearth of monuments, with even the brasses having been ripped from their tombs. There is an elegant memorial in the north aisle to the Reverend Atkinson, whose wife and child died shortly before himself; this has the stack of books and goose feather quill of a scholar carved on its base. The south chancel chapel has a pretty panelled roof repainted in turquoise and gold over faded fourteenth century scenes; between it and the chancel is one big arch divided in two by a Purbeck marble shaft supporting a fan shaped spandrel of open work; similar spectacular arches exist at Luton and Chelmsford. There is a fifteenth century screen across the west end of the chapel, and an unusual Jacobean rail around the altar, looking like skeletal panelling.
The most outstanding fitting is the font of 1380, as ornately carved of any in the county. It is octagonal, with a chain of flowers round the base beneath quatrefoils on the stem. Angels support the corners, holding either musical instruments or symbols of the passion: behind them rise pinnacles dividing the fields on the sides on which are carved scenes of saints. George kills one dragon, St. Margaret burst out of another, St. Christopher carries Christ through the river, St. James travels as a pilgrim, John the Baptist cradles the lamb of god, and the other two sides are given up to an annunciation scene, with Gabriel carrying a sceptre and scroll to the Virgin, who looks placidly at him over a pot of lilies, as if she receives angels every day of the week.
The church in the centre of town is open daily 9.00-3.00.
The church in the centre of town is open daily 9.00-3.00.
Christ Church, Ware
Christ Church is a Victorian building of 1858 by Stephens of Tunbridge Wells in the north east part of town, made visible by its spire. Whilst rather bog-standard from the outside, there is architectural quality in its simple stripped back interior , rather like industrial Early English. It could do without the children's evangelical banners, which rather spoil the tight vertical effect. The best thing here has been moved out of the church into the tower porch, a superbly geometric font, a brilliant design.
The church is generally open.
All rights reserved for this entire site. Copyright reserved to stiffleaf for all text and images, which may not be reproduced without my permission.
The church is generally open.
All rights reserved for this entire site. Copyright reserved to stiffleaf for all text and images, which may not be reproduced without my permission.