2. The Bed of Ware
The enormous ‘Bed of Ware’ has been famous since it was first made. It was mentioned by a German traveller to Britain in 1596 and also by Shakespeare in his play Twelfth Night, first performed in 1601.
At 3.26 metres wide, the bed was probably made to attract custom at an inn in Ware, just north of London. Legend claimed that it could accommodate ‘twenty-six butchers and their wives’. This is an exaggeration, but four couples might well have shared the bed. Heavy curtains and several layers of mattresses would keep them warm on cold nights.
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