Musley Hill School, is a Grade II listed building and holds one of the few remaining Fives courts in the country. Fives was played by pupils from the 19th century by ‘batting’ a ball against a wall with a gloved hand. The south entrance porch has a wooden door with ornate strap hinges, right above this is a worn out stone plaque which dates the building back to 1857 when it was built as a school ‘’Chuck Memorial School’’ by Elizabeth Moore Chuck in memory of her husband as a school for the education of the industrial classes, with a later addition in 1897 that is legible to the right on a similar stone plaque. Now both Maltster Edward and his wife Elizabeth Chuck’s tombs rest in St Mary’s Church in Ware. The family were also known to have financed much of the restoration of the church, and also paid for the East Window.
Chuck Memorial School later amalgamated with Ware Grammar School Endowment Fund Trust, which established the site in 1906 as a boys’ school.
It was later used by juniors and, latterly, infants, following the move of Ware Grammar School to Millbrook House, near the town’s railway station and so on. Over the years the school itself has had several extensions and alterations, but still retains lot of its original characteristics that takes one back into time!
From its derelict state we now present Musley Hill School, which has been refurbished from scratch to exceptionally high standards internally by its owner and Monkey Puzzle will provide a vibrant and progressive culture and a climate of continuous innovation meeting the OFSTED early years requirements.
The school and now present nursery is located on Musley Hill Road and is considered a prominent landmark in the area. It is very convenient location as A10 is easily accessible and hence falls under London-Ware-Cambridge commuter belt.
