70 74 76, HIGH STREET

Nos. 70, 74, and 76 on High Street in Ware are a cornmarket with meeting and reading rooms that now serve as commercial premises. Built in 1827 through public subscription, the building features yellow brick with stucco dressings and has a hipped, low-pitched roof covered with Welsh slates, characteristic of the Italianate style.

The structure is two storeys high and includes a first-floor band with seven tall sash windows facing south and two facing east, all with glazing bars set in reveals beneath stucco-faced lintels with moulded cornices. There is a slightly recessed single window wing on the left side. The rear elevation, which faces West Street, has six first-floor blank recesses beneath segmental arches and six arcaded arches on the ground floor. Originally open, the ground floor arcades have seven arches with archivolts, imposts, and keyblocks, but were enclosed in the 1840s when the building was converted into a shop, and the east front arcades were removed to create a shopfront. A modern plate glass display window, possibly from the late 19th century, is located on the left.

A plaque on the east side identifies the building as 'Town Hall', which refers to the reading room, although the building never served a municipal function. The building underwent extensive refurbishment in 1984-1985 and occupies a prominent site, with its east facade being a focal point for views westward along High Street.