From a9032 - lb rubber isthmus ballto a42 - foot - grandiloquent rocking chair , we seem to have a exceptional kinship for holidaymaker attractions that are justreally largeversions of everyday things — and we ’ve been transfix by them for one C of years .
In 1590 or so , during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I , an inn in Ware , Hertfordshire , England , had a giant layer make to distinguish themselves from other inns in the area . Designedto draw in traveller on their manner from London to Cambridge or Walsingham , this behemoth bed features nearly118 square feetof sleeping blank . It was once claimed that 26 bumbler and their wives slept in the bed overnight on a daring .
The bed was n’t just big , it was also fairly grand , featuringintricate carvingsof human image , brute , leaves , and patterns . And as with any tourer attraction , visitant have felt compelled to go out their marks over the years . Initials and dates are carved all over the wooden posts and headboard , while others have left blobs of wax impress with the seals from their signet ring . " The Great Bed of Ware , " as it became known , even had famous fans : Shakespeare reference it inTwelfth Night(Sir Toby Belch note a bed sheet of report " big enough for the Bed of Ware " ) and fellow Renaissance playwright Ben Jonson gave it a nod inEpicœne .
The layer remain in Ware for 100 of years , bouncing around tofive inns — the White Hart , the George , the Crown , the Bull , and the Saracen ’s Head . But by 1931 , it had hit enough slug to become an exhibit in the Victoria & Albert Museum ; curator ponied up £ 4000 to purchase the piece when it attend like it was going to be sell at auction bridge to an American collector . The Great Bed of Ware has been one of the most popular showing at the museum ever since , and has only been off presentation once , during abrief exhibitionin its hometown in 2012 - 2013 .
To this day , it seems tourists are unable to baulk the allure of the sixteenth 100 attraction : In 2015 , Elizabeth Hurley perched on the edge of the bottom for a picture op . Alarms sound , security department guards came running , and Hurley wasescorted outof the building .
