Scott's Grotto is a series of interconnected chambers, extending some 67ft into the chalk hillside. It is rumoured to have cost ?10,000 and is thought to have taken 30 years to complete. The chambers and tunnels are lined with shells, flints and pieces of coloured glass, some donated by friends. On top of the hill above the tunnels there is a summer house which would have commanded a wonderful view over the town of Ware. The picture on the left shows the inside of the Council Chamber as labelled on Mr R T Andrews's 1900 Plan of the Grotto. This chamber is the most highly decorated and has seats inset into it's wall. One of these seats even has the word FROG written in shells, referring to his wife, Sarah Frogley
Several theories exist as to why he built it, was it that he just wanted to decorate his garden or perhaps he wanted somewhere to write? Another possibility is he needed an attraction to draw London society out to visit him in Ware. Scott kept a visitor's book which contains three thousand names so the attraction obviously worked.
No Comments Yet - Why not be the first to leave a comment
Every effort is made to make sure that all the information is correct but we strongly recommend that you call Scott's Grotto before you set off on your day out to confirm opening times and admission prices.
Please also note that the position on Google maps for Scott's Grotto is a rough estimate using their postcode in the database and might be slightly out.
It may also be worth clicking the web link for Scott's Grotto to see if there are any special events coming up or currently on.
Scott's Grotto