Waltham Abbey

Waltham Abbey is a market town in Essex.

The township is approximately a 30 minute walk from the hotel.

We decided to explore Waltham Abbey late on a Sunday morning so not many people were about, especially as rain was threatening.

The passage way on the left leads into the grounds of Waltham Abbey church.

There has been a church in Waltham since Saxon times and the Waltham Cross was once considered a place of pilgrimage.

In 1060 Harold Godwinson had the church rebuilt. In 1184 Henry II raised the status of the church to an abbey.

At the back of the church is a stone purporting to mark the place of the burial of King Harold in 1066. A number of other locations in England also claim the burial of Harold.

Much of the abbey complex has been destroyed over time but there are still remnants of the walls of part of the structure in the grounds.

This section was the entrance to the former cloister passage.

A section of abbey walls showing the size of the complex.

The remains of the abbey gateway.

Much of the stonework has been reused in other building projects such as the remaining walls of Abbey House which was built by the Denney family after the dissolution of the monasteries. The house was demolished in 1770.

Birds enjoy the relative solitude of the abbey grounds.

A wooden carving of a monk stands among the trees.

Interior of the present church - Church of the Holy Cross and St Lawrence. This building was part of the west end of the abbey.

The church entrance today.

A history of Waltham Abbey
Waltham Abbey Church history