Stanstead Bury
Originally monastic, Stanstead Bury is now an eclectic mix of architectural periods and styles.
Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 8JZ
There are gravel paths outside. The ground floor is accessible with a wheelchair, but not upstairs.
Stanstead Bury is an intriguing house of Tudor origin. Originally a monastic property, it has been occupied for the majority of the period since the dissolution by three families: the Baeshes, Fieldes and Trowers.
They have all left their mark and the house is now an unusual mix of architectural styles. The earliest visible part is a half-timbered newel staircase and the most recent addition was built in 1963. It has a fine William and Mary front. It is very definitely a family house – the inside is filled with Trower possessions accumulated over the last 150 years. The grounds include a 16th century ice house and St James’ Church, which has a particularly interesting 18th century interior and is Grade I listed. Group visits can also include a tour of the farm by request, where there are a further four listed buildings.
The tour includes the ground floor, first floor including bedrooms, 17th century walls surrounding the vegetable garden, work in progress, and the gardens (to view the exterior of the house). The church will be opened for visitors to see and brief outline given with a guide available to buy. Depending on the time of the visit there will be home-grown vegetables and grass-fed red poll beef for sale.
TOUR DURATION
2½-3 hours
TOUR PRICE
£18.00 per person
REFRESHMENTS
Tea and cake
RESTRICTIONS
No photography in the house
Historic Houses tours that are scheduled will be listed below. If none are scheduled yet, please check back later, or find other tours you might enjoy on our tours listing page here.
This house is not part of the Free for Members scheme, but is one of many houses on our website that we support to promote their tours, weddings, filming, and other commercial offerings. To see all the places you can visit as a Historic Houses member, please visit our ‘Free for Members’ listings page here. Or to find out more about how the membership scheme works and how it supports our work to protect independent heritage, visit our page here.
There are gravel paths outside. The ground floor is accessible with a wheelchair, but not upstairs.
Stanstead Bury, Hertfordshire
Stanstead Bury, Hertfordshire
Stanstead Bury, Hertfordshire
Stanstead Bury, Hertfordshire
Getting here
Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 8JZ
The house is between Roydon, Essex, and Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire. Please follow the directions below as it is not easy to find.
From the north: take the A10 south from Hertford, come off at the Ware/Harlow turning, go through Stanstead Abbotts on the B181 going to Roydon, go up the steep hill, over the A414 and our drive is immediately on the left beside St James’ Church. It says SLOW clearly on the road, if you go too fast you will miss the turning and end up at Roydon Station. From the South: go north on the A10 at the roundabout marked Ware (South)/Chelmsford. Take this exit and follow signs through Stanstead Abbotts then continue as above.
It is a small, narrow turning, which is not suitable for large coaches.
Visitors said
A huge thank you to you and Gini for inviting us to join the tour of your beautiful home yesterday. We had a thoroughly wonderful afternoon. The tour was excellent in historical detail and very entertaining.
Thank you for the fantastic welcome you gave to our group from The Arts Society of East Herts last Friday. I have received many comments saying how much members enjoyed visiting your home and particular compliments on the cakes and tea. (Special thanks from the member for his gluten-free selection). The visit was a great success.
A really different and enjoyable tour hosted by the owner. She is extremely knowledgeable, witty and entertaining as well as being passionate about the family home she married into. This is a really personal tour including her own bedroom. We were also let into the church which has a beautiful modern stained-glass window. 5 stars.
Everybody in my group found the property and the church so interesting. Mr Trower showed us around and informed us about a property that none of us knew existed until today. An excellent trip.
The mix of periods make the house so attractive and it was lovely to see some of your family treasures. Thank you for the tour, it was all so interesting and we all enjoyed the delicious tea and cakes.
Thank you so much for making the MK Art Group most welcome at your home on Wednesday. Your home is wonderful, so interesting and with the addition of your family stories so much more than just a historic house. Thank you for the great refreshments and for the visit to the very beautiful, historic church. The leaflet made very interesting reading and the Denny stained glass was fabulous to see.