Scott's Grotto, Scott's Road, SG12

Image: © Mike Quinn Taken: 29 Jun 2016

I am very grateful to Graham Watson, the Warden of Scott’s Grotto, for kindly allowing me access to the Grotto, Summerhouse and Garden outside the usual opening times, and for giving me a wealth of information about them. For information about Scott and the Grotto, see Image The Historic England listings for the Grotto, Summerhouse and Garden are confusing. My thanks to Graham Watson for clarifying the situation. The Grotto, which has a separate entry, is Grade I listed https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1238171 . However, if you search the database for “Scott’s Grotto” in Hertfordshire, you get “Scott’s Grotto, Ware" https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1238171 which appears to say that it is Grade II* listed – whereas this listing applies to the garden. About halfway through the text it says “PRINCIPAL BUILDING The Grotto (1760s, listed grade I)”. The same listing says that the summerhouse is “c 1766, largely rebuilt 1990, listed grade II” and two lines further down says that it is “c 1768, restored 1990, listed grade II*”. Yet another entry seems to confirm that it is indeed Grade II* https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1275397 .

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