The Adventure Begins

July 26 - the time for last minute packing for the trip to England for the Australian Over 70s Cricket Team tour of England. This was our second opportunity to travel to England with an Australian Seniors  Cricket Team - the last time was three years ago with the Australian Over 60s Cricket Team.

Timothy drove us to the airport and he and Aiden helped us with our bags. Aiden insisted on guiding my suitcase from the the car to the airport. Once we were in the queue Aiden gave me instructions as to how move the suitcase to the desk.

The first queue

Aiden filled in time eating ice cream, including dropping some on the floor. As Aiden had school the next day Timothy took him home. Aiden, however as they left, provided me once again how to look after my suitcase.

On this trip we flew with Malaysian Airlines. The plane was due to leave Melbourne at 11.25 pm. While we were waiting, we met two other team members waiting for the same flight - Brian Pooley and Ian Gibson.  We arrived at Kuala Lumpur early in the morning and had a three hour break before the next flight to London. Harry Solomons joined our flight at KL. We eventually arrived at Heathrow at 3.30 in the afternoon of July 27 after a long journey.

Waiting for the rest of our party to arrive

At Heathrow we met up with four other members of our touring team before travelling by coach to the Waltham Abbey Marriott Hotel in Essex.

Waltham Abbey Marriott Hotel

We slept well that night.

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