History
For some time I have been thinking of adding a page or two on local history epecially of my home town of "dear old " Ware. All around us we are seeing great changes in the landscape around us. With more and more houses being built and planned for ,the tranquility of of our villages and the stunning countryside that surrounds them and "Dear old Ware" (as some of the older generation call it) will be lost forever .It is my hope that I could get some of some of the older villagers on video at a later date to tell some stories of their youth. So what better way to start a history section in Wadesmill countryside than by using "MO CHARGES" superb article in the "VILLAGE LIFE" magazine .Thank you Maurice for your kind permission to use it!
As a ware boy born and bred I am very proud of its history,and as us 'ol Ware boys' say " you can take the ol' boy out of Ware but you carn't take Ware out of the ol'boy !
I remember my dear old mate Reg Page telling me one day of when he received his call up papers telling him to report for training before going off to fight in the second world war "I came home from work and mum said there's a letter for you ,and I knew by her look that it was my call up papers, I opened it and said Hooray ,I'm out of old Ware. Mum looked at me and said" Reg how could you say such a thing and you going off to war an all".
"Well mate" he said "a few days later I reported in for training and got all me kit and stuff,and then shown what barracks I was in and off we all went.I don't mind telling you , that night I was lonely and I cried and I wanted to be back home in dear old Ware.My old mate went on to fight and fought bravely in North africa returning home after the war to work along side his old dad once again in the maltings.Reg was born in what was known as Caroline court and it was in where Charvilles garage was or where the new homes for the elderly are now. Reg told me that it was a pretty grim place to live and was considered as a slum with only a couple of rooms to live in , no running water and no lavatories,he remembered when they had a tap, sink and water laid on in doors and his mother crying (with happiness) that no longer did she have to go and fetch the households water in a bucket from a single outside tap that was shared by all. Caroline Court was demolished sometime in the '30's.
An archive photo not owned by the website
A view looking up Baldock street . Hope maltings on the corner, on the lefthand side of the road was Robinsons the green grocer, The maple leaf cafe , Moss's cycle shop on the corner opposite Hope malting. on the right hand side The Bulls Head pub, The waggon and horses pub , Charvilles garage, Thunder hall ( owned by the Pearce family)Just inside the Bourne and opposite that, near as damn it, the Snowdrop Laundry. whilst further along on the right hand side on Wadesmill Road, was Ginny Clarks farm that backed on to Cannons road.
Caroline court was not the only slum area , Kibes lane, Amwell end (Amwell always pronounced as "Amal" ) Blue Coat yard with Adams yard and chapel yard being two of the worst, and with out breaks of cholera in the mid to late 19th century, life must have been very difficult. Life continued to be harsh for those families up until the very late 30's when by then ,a new housing estate was built on Musley common. After the war during the Fifties and into the Seventies Ware council continued their program of demolishing derelect houses and properties, in Baldock street and church street(dead lane) many ancient dwellings were demolished to make way for a new road ,the most famous being Number one Monkey row!
A brief history of Miss May Savidge and recommended reading of the book
"Miss Savidge moves her house"
by Christine Adams with Michael McMahon