Scott's Grotto
Encyclopedia
Scott's Grotto, is a grotto
in Ware, Hertfordshire
built for John Scott
, an 18th Century poet who owned Amwell House from 1768. The grotto, the largest in the United Kingdom
, is a series of chambers extending over 65ft into the chalk hillside. The chambers are decorated with shells, stones such as flint and coloured glass. The Grotto is owned by East Hertfordshire
district council
and was restored in 1990 by the Ware Society.
The grotto is a Grade I listed building, and the surrounding gardens and structures are Grade II* listed.
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
in Ware, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
built for John Scott
John Scott of Amwell
John Scott , known as Scott of Amwell, was a poet and writer on the alleviation of poverty.He was a wealthy Quaker who lived at Amwell near Ware in Hertfordshire, England...
, an 18th Century poet who owned Amwell House from 1768. The grotto, the largest in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, is a series of chambers extending over 65ft into the chalk hillside. The chambers are decorated with shells, stones such as flint and coloured glass. The Grotto is owned by East Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England. Its council has offices in Bishop's Stortford and Hertford ....
district council
East Hertfordshire District Council
East Hertfordshire District Council is the local authority for the East Hertfordshire non-metropolitan district of England, the United Kingdom. East Hertfordshire covers most of the eastern third of Hertfordshire, in the East of England region...
and was restored in 1990 by the Ware Society.
The grotto is a Grade I listed building, and the surrounding gardens and structures are Grade II* listed.