Amwell House, Hertford Regional College, Ware, Hertfordshire

Description

WARE TOWN

TL3513NE HERTFORD ROAD
829-1/13/79 (South side)
08/05/50 Amwell House, Hertford Regional
College, Ware Centre
(Formerly Listed as:
HERTFORD ROAD
Amwell House)

GV II*

Formerly known as: Ware Grammar School for Girls LONDON ROAD.
House, now part of Hertford Regional College. Early C18,
extended c1740, late C18, remodelled late C19, altered 1973
when wings truncated by 15 feet for road widening. Red and
plum coloured brick with cherry red dressings, Flemish Bond.
Welsh slate gabled roof, hipped Welsh slate roofs, with red
half-round ridge tiles over hips, and on ridges, over wings.
Moulded brick cornice above windows, moulded brick and wood
eaves cornice, stone parapet dressings to gable ends, low
brick chimneystacks at ends. Central entry, single pile plan,
with twin projecting wings, giving H-form with forecourt.
North elevation faces road.
EXTERIOR: centre 3 storeys above basement, with attics, 5-bay
width, 2-storey projecting wings. First floor and second floor
have 5 nearly flush-set sash windows. Brickwork to second
floor noticeably darker, indicating raising of building to 3
storeys in late C18. Ground floor has 4 nearly flush-set sash
windows with glazing bars, exposed boxes and moulded
architraves, under red rubbed flat arches. Moulded plat band
at first floor level. Central projecting closed porch, formed
by moving original doorcase outwards late C19, has entablature
with pulvinated frieze, dentil and modillion cornice,
modillion pediment, attached Roman Ionic columns flanking,
arch with moulded imposts and archivolt, containing 8 fielded
panelled door and fanlight with scrollwork single recessed
sash window, ground and first with Tuscan columns ground
floor, and Tuscan pilasters first floor. Stone bands at cill
levels, and modillion cornice above first floor windows,
projecting sprocketed eaves.
South elevation to garden has 5 bay 3-storey centre, with
attics, above basement. Small central attic dormer above early
C20 fire escape. 3 nearly flush-set sash windows ground and
first floor, 1 to right and 2 to left of centre. 2 nearly
flush-set sash windows, with left hand blocked window to
second floor. Plat bands at first and second-floor levels.
Central wood doorcase with Tuscan pillars, in front of Tuscan
pilaster responds, carrying entablatures with stepped fascia
plain frieze, and moulding below cornice, with open moulded
pediment. Recessed half-glazed door with pilaster surround,
blank fanlight and semicircular moulded archivolt with
keystone. 2 storey links to slightly projecting 2 storey
wings. Right hand wing has first-floor C18 flush-set sash
window, with glazing bars, in architrave surround, with
pediment above, ground floor large C19 canted brick bay
window, with moulded modillion cornice and C20 balcony railing
above. 3 pairs of plain glazed mullion and transom French
windows. Left hand wing first floor has pedimented sash window
as for right hand wing, and ground floor mid C19 canted wood
bay window above brick spandrel. Sash windows with glazing
bars with architrave surrounds, moulded cornice with
modillions, and lead roof, with wood roll hips.
INTERIOR: ground floor hall has plain C18 panelling, with
moulded dado rail and moulded archivolts, opening out into
former dining room to form larger entrance hall. C19 wood and
marble fire surround, with egg and dart moulded architrave,
and dentil cornice. Former parlour to right hand of entrance
has moulded cornice and C19 marble fire surround with Ionic
columns. Former sitting room in west wing has C18 panelling,
moulded dado and C19 moulded cornice. Late C19 fireplace with
wood consoles, egg and dart moulding, dentil cornice, and
overmantel with recessed panel, Tuscan pilasters, carrying
entablatures, with projecting central tablet, with pediment
above. Doorcases with moulded architraves and with 6 panelled
doors with fielded and raised panels. Late C19 pediments added
above. Former library, south room of west wing truncated 1973,
but retains elaborate C19 plaster modillion cornice, C19
moulded and patterned wood dado, and panelled shutters and
panelled archivolt to relocated C18 Venetian window.
East wing contains former servants hall and office. Fine C18
china cabinet, built against north wall, has semicircular top,
and twin glazed doors with glazing bars forming octagonal
subdivisions, with pointed heads.
Main staircase relocated from central hall to west wing late
C18, and rebuilt late C19, rising in dog-leg plan to first
floor. Close string pattern, with Tuscan column newels and
balusters of iron-twist columns above vases. Ramped moulded
hardwood handrails. The stair follows the style of the C18
original, which rises centrally from the first floor (vide
infra). On the half-landing is the 'Gilpin Window', late C19,
in the style of Morris and Co. painted and stained glass, with
quarries of floral motifs, and circular flower heads, joined
by lead cames. 2 painted panels, based on the illustrations by
Randolph Caldecott to Cowper's poem. First floor central range
has central mid C18 staircase rising in dog-leg plan to second
floor and attics. Close string pattern with custom column
newels, balusters of iron-twist columns above squat vases,
moulded strings and caps, moulded ramped handrail, panelled
dado, with moulded ramped rail, as far as half landing only.
Principal first floor rooms retain moulded cornices, part
panelling and C18 fire surrounds of various patterns with
moulded architraves and shelves supported on moulded cornices
with dentils. Half-landing to attics has servants' wc with pan
of `long hopper' type, c1870. Original 2 attics subdivided
into 4.
HISTORICAL NOTE: Amwell House identified with residence of
John Scott (1730-83), the Quaker poet, from c1750 to his
death. His father, Samuel Scott, moved to Amwell in 1740, and
may have built the west wing. Scott's garden, and grotto (qv)
attracted many eminent visitors. He reputedly paid for
improving the Amwell to Hertford Road which passes the house,
and later came under the Cheshunt Turnpike Trust. After
Scott's death, his daughter remained in the house until 1863.
Acquired by the Tite family, the interior was embellished late
C19. In 1906 the house became the Ware Girl's Grammar School,
in 1964 the Ware College of Further Education, now the
Hertford Regional College. Externally the setting of the
building has changed radically during the C20, with the
stables and outbuildings to the west demolished during the
1960s with the conversion of the building to a College of
Further Education, which entailed extensive construction in
the gardens. A short length of attached garden wall beyond the
dining-room in the south-east corner, is in Hitch patent
brickwork. The north elevation of Amwell House forms a focal
point along Amwell End.
(Edwards E and Perman D: Ware's Past In Pictures: Ware: 1991-:
104-5, 128-30; Heath C: The Book of Ware. A Portrait of the
Town: Chesham: 1977-: 104-106, 108-110,123; Hunt EM: The
History of Ware: Hertford: 1986-1946: 38; The Buildings of
England: Pevsner N (rev. Cherry B): Hertfordshire:
Harmondsworth: 1977-: 381; Smith JT: Hertfordshire Houses.
Selective Inventory: London: 1993-: 193-4; Perman D: Ware UD.
List of buildings of special arch or historic interest: 1993-:
25-26; Ware 25" to 1 Mile. Surveyed by the Ordnance Survey
Department: 1851-; Dodd WA: Plans of Amwell House Showing
Construction Phases: 1986-).

Listing NGR: TL3587613962

External Links

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British Listed Buildings

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Amwell House, Hertford Regional College

A Grade II* Listed Building in Ware, Hertfordshire

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