Poetry Week - Great Bed of Ware

Our pupils spent the week learning some interesting and unusual poems ready for the performance. However it was also a chance to research some incredible stories.

Have you ever heard of 'The Great Bed of Ware'?

This was an extremely large oak four poster bed, carved with marquetry, that was originally housed in the White Hart Inn in Ware, England. 

I found out that it was built by Hertfordshire carpenter Jonas Fosbrooke in 1580.
Jessica

Amazingly the bed measures 3.38m long and 3.26m wide. Apparently at least 8 people could sleep in it at once.
Jack

The idea was that lots of people who travelled in England at that time wanted somewhere quick to rest. They wouldn't have a room each, they'd just share the bed. The poem is an imaginative take on what it would have been like to spend a night in 'The Great Bed of Ware'.

If you want to see it for yourself, go and visit the V&A Museum.