Waltham Abbey, Essex
Encyclopedia
Waltham Abbey is a market
town
of about 20,400 people in the south west of the county of Essex
, in the East of England
region. It is about 24 km north of London
on the Greenwich Meridian and lies between the River Lea in the west and Epping Forest
in the east. It takes its name from The Abbey Church of Waltham Holy Cross
, which was prominent in the early history of the town. The ancient parish covering Waltham Abbey was known as Waltham Holy Cross. The town is in the District of Epping Forest
and has its own town council and is twinned with the German town of Hörstel
.
forms the town’s western boundary, and the eastern boundary runs through Epping Forest. The land rises gradually from the marsh
es and meadow
s by the river to the plateau of London clay
in the east, 60–90 metres, above sea level, capped by sand and gravel of Epping Forest. In the south covering the former course of the River Lea is the King George V
Reservoir, opened in 1913. Cobbins Brook
a tributary
of the River Lea, crosses the parish
from east to west. In addition to the town the parish includes in its 41 km² the villages and hamlets of High Beach
, Holyfield
, Sewardstone
and Upshire
. The M25 motorway
runs to the south of the town, to which it has access by means of Junction 26 on the A121
.
The town has numerous housing estates such as Ninefields, Roundhills, Marriot and the Meridian Park.
was named Waltham Holy Cross, rather than Waltham Abbey.
There are traces of prehistoric and Roman
settlement in the town. Ermine Street
lies only 5 km west and the causeway across the River Lea from Waltham Cross
in Hertfordshire
may be a Roman construction. A local legend claims that Boudica
's rebellion against the Romans
ended in the neighbourhood, when she poisoned herself with hemlock
gathered on the banks of Cobbins Brook
.
The recorded history of the town began during the reign of Canute
in the early 11th century when his standard-bearer Tovi
or Tofig the Proud, founded (or rebuilt) a church here to house the miraculous cross discovered at Montacute
in Somerset
. It is this cross that gave Waltham the earliest suffix to its name. After Tovi's death around 1045, Waltham reverted to the King (Edward the Confessor
), who gave it to the Earl
Harold Godwinson
(later king). Harold rebuilt Tovi's church in stone around 1060, in gratitude it is said for his cure from a paralysis, through praying before the miraculous cross.
Legend has it that after his death at the Battle of Hastings
in 1066, his body was brought to Waltham for burial near to the High Altar. Today, the spot is marked by a stone slab in the churchyard (originally the site of the high altar prior to the reformation).
In 1177, as part of his penance for his part in the murder of Thomas Becket
, Archbishop of Canterbury
, Henry II
refounded Harold's church as a priory of Augustinian Canons Regular of sixteen canon
s and a prior
. In 1184, this was altered and Waltham became an abbey
with an abbot
and twenty-four canons, which grew to be the richest monastery in Essex. To the abbey's west and south, the town grew up, with a single High street as late as 1848 (White's Directory of Essex). The town's dependence on the Abbey was signalled by its decline after the Abbey was dissolved in 1540, the last monastic house to be dissolved. (It was also known to be King Henry VIII favourite place for resting and finding peace, this is why it was the last working Abbey. Torn down only after all the others in the country had been destroyed)
factory was opened in the town, no doubt due to good river communications and empty marshland by the River Lea. The factory was sold to the government in 1787 and was greatly expanded during the next century, becoming the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills
. In the 19th century, searches began for more powerful and reliant propellant explosives, and guncotton was developed here by Frederick Abel, starting in 1863. Cordite
production began in 1891 and the site was enlarged several times. The site was an obvious target during World War II, and a German
V-2 rocket
landed near the factory in Highbridge Street on 7 March 1945, causing considerable damage to property and large loss of life. The factory eventually closed in 1943, and the site was developed into an explosives research establishment. There was also a fulling
mill at Sewardstone around 1777 and a pin factory by 1805. Silk
and calico
printing were also important industries. The River Lee Navigation
was also improved, a new canal cut across the marshes was opened in 1769, bringing more trade to the town. Outside the town, the parish is largely rural and agriculture has been an important occupation. In the first half of the 20th century, the area was extensively covered in glass-houses
and market gardens
. Gravel extraction has also long been a major industry in the Lea Valley
, leaving a legacy of pits now used for recreation and an important wildlife habitat. In the early 1970s, the population of the town increased by the development of housing estates and has developed into a dormitory town with pockets of light industry. The town now continues to grow due to its proximity to London and the high value of property in the area.
The medieval Waltham Abbey Church is now used as the parish church. In addition there are a few other remains of the former abbey – the gatehouse, a vaulted passage and Harold’s Bridge – all in the care of English Heritage
.
Waltham Abbey is notable for the reputed grave of Harold II
, the last Anglo-Saxon
King of England. Also in the town, housed in a building dating back to 1520, is the Epping Forest District Museum
, which tells the story of the people who have lived and worked in this part of south Essex
from the earliest times to the present.
On the site of a former gunpowder factory another museum illustrates the evolution of explosives and the development of the Royal Gunpowder Mills (an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage
) through interactive and traditional exhibitions and displays. The site hosts living history and battle re-enactment events most summer weekends and also offers a self-guided nature walk that shows visitors the ecology that has reclaimed much of the remaining 175 acre (0.7082005 km²).
The former gravel pits in the Lea Valley and parts of the former Abbey Gardens are now in the care of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
for recreation use and nature conservation.
The Epping Forest
Conservation Centre in High Beach provides information, maps, books, cards, displays and advice for visitors to the area.
which provides a frequent service to London
Liverpool Street. Most bus services in Waltham Abbey serve the station.
The nearest London Underground
station is at Loughton
.
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of about 20,400 people in the south west of the county of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, in the East of England
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
region. It is about 24 km north of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on the Greenwich Meridian and lies between the River Lea in the west and Epping Forest
Epping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
in the east. It takes its name from The Abbey Church of Waltham Holy Cross
Waltham Abbey (abbey)
The Abbey Church of Waltham Abbey has been a place of worship since at least 1030, and is in the town of Waltham Abbey, Essex, England. The Prime Meridian passes through its grounds. Harold Godwinson is said to be buried just outside the present abbey...
, which was prominent in the early history of the town. The ancient parish covering Waltham Abbey was known as Waltham Holy Cross. The town is in the District of Epping Forest
Epping Forest (district)
Epping Forest is a local government district of the county of Essex, England. It is named after Epping Forest, of which the district contains a large part...
and has its own town council and is twinned with the German town of Hörstel
Hörstel
Hörstel is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the junction of the Mittellandkanal and the Dortmund-Ems Canal, approx. 10 km east of Rheine.-References:...
.
Physical geography
The River Lea, which forms the county boundary with HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
forms the town’s western boundary, and the eastern boundary runs through Epping Forest. The land rises gradually from the marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es and meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s by the river to the plateau of London clay
London Clay
The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for the fossils it contains. The fossils from the Lower Eocene indicate a moderately warm climate, the flora being tropical or subtropical...
in the east, 60–90 metres, above sea level, capped by sand and gravel of Epping Forest. In the south covering the former course of the River Lea is the King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
Reservoir, opened in 1913. Cobbins Brook
Cobbins Brook
Cobbins Brook is a minor tributary of the River Lea. It forms at the north of Epping, Essex and flows past Epping Uplands, Waltham Abbey until it joins the River Lee Flood Relief Channel below the M25 near Rammey Marsh.- Queen Boudica :...
a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the River Lea, crosses the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
from east to west. In addition to the town the parish includes in its 41 km² the villages and hamlets of High Beach
High Beach
High Beach also known as High Beech is a hamlet located within Epping Forest. Epping is located to the north east and Central London at Charing Cross lies approximately to the south west.-Description:...
, Holyfield
Holyfield
Holyfield is a hamlet in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. It is located at grid reference and is within the EN postcode area. For local government purposes the hamlet forms part of the Waltham Abbey parish....
, Sewardstone
Sewardstone
Sewardstone is a place in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England.It is located 11.6 miles north north-east of Charing Cross and is the only area outside Greater London to be covered by a London postcode district . The area consists of scattered development with large sections of open land...
and Upshire
Upshire
Upshire is a village in the Epping Forest district, in the county of Essex, England. Nearby settlements include the towns of Epping and Waltham Abbey, Essex and the hamlet of Copthall Green. The M25 motorway passes close to the village. It is on Horseshoe Hill...
. The M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
runs to the south of the town, to which it has access by means of Junction 26 on the A121
A121 road (England)
The A121 road is a road in England connecting Waltham Cross and Woodford Wells. The main settlements on it are Waltham Abbey and Loughton. It also passes through Buckhurst Hill. For much of its length, it passes through the densest part of Epping Forest via Woodredon and Goldings Hills....
.
The town has numerous housing estates such as Ninefields, Roundhills, Marriot and the Meridian Park.
Watercourses
From north to south the following channels flow across the Waltham Abbey flood plain;- Cornmill StreamCornmill StreamThe Cornmill Stream is a minor tributary of the River Lea in the English county of Essex.- History :The stream is an artificial watercourse which may have been built by 1086 to serve the mills mentioned in the Domesday Book at Waltham Abbey...
- Old River Lea
- Millhead StreamMillhead StreamThe Millhead Stream is a minor tributary of the River Lea. The stream flows north to south across the Waltham Abbey flood plain and through the site of the former Royal Gunpowder Mills.- History :...
- River Lee Flood Relief ChannelRiver Lee Flood Relief ChannelThe River Lee Flood Relief Channel is located in the Lea Valley and flows between Ware, Hertfordshire and Stratford, east London. Work started on the channel in 1947 following major flooding and was fully operational by 1976...
incorporated into the Horsemill Stream - River Lee NavigationRiver Lee NavigationThe Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea . Its course runs from Hertford Castle Weir all the way to the River Thames at Bow Creek. The first lock of the navigation is Hertford Lock the last being Bow Locks....
- Small River LeaSmall River LeaSmall River Lea is a minor tributary of the River Lea, which flows through the Lee Valley Park between Cheshunt and Enfield Lock. It forms part of the Turnford and Cheshunt Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest as it flows through the River Lee Country Park.- Course :The river leaves the Old...
Early history
The name Waltham derives from weald or wald "forest" and ham "homestead" or "enclosure". The name of the ancient parish as a whole is Waltham Holy Cross, but the use of the name Waltham Abbey for the town seems to have originated in the 16th century, but there has often been inconsistency in the use of the two names. Indeed, the former urban districtUrban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
was named Waltham Holy Cross, rather than Waltham Abbey.
There are traces of prehistoric and Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
settlement in the town. Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
lies only 5 km west and the causeway across the River Lea from Waltham Cross
Waltham Cross
Waltham Cross is the most southeasterly town in Hertfordshire, England. It is 12 miles from the City of London and immediately north of the M25 motorway, forming part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt. Part of Waltham Cross is located within Greater London.-Geography:It is...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
may be a Roman construction. A local legend claims that Boudica
Boudica
Boudica , also known as Boadicea and known in Welsh as "Buddug" was queen of the British Iceni tribe who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire....
's rebellion against the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
ended in the neighbourhood, when she poisoned herself with hemlock
Conium
Conium is a genus of two species of highly poisonous perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean region as Conium maculatum, and to southern Africa as Conium chaerophylloides....
gathered on the banks of Cobbins Brook
Cobbins Brook
Cobbins Brook is a minor tributary of the River Lea. It forms at the north of Epping, Essex and flows past Epping Uplands, Waltham Abbey until it joins the River Lee Flood Relief Channel below the M25 near Rammey Marsh.- Queen Boudica :...
.
The recorded history of the town began during the reign of Canute
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
in the early 11th century when his standard-bearer Tovi
Tovi the Proud
Tovi the Proud was a rich and powerful 11th-century Danish thegn who held a number of estates in various parts of southern England. He was staller to King Cnut the Great....
or Tofig the Proud, founded (or rebuilt) a church here to house the miraculous cross discovered at Montacute
Montacute
Montacute is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 680 . The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referring to the small but still quite acute hill dominating the village to the west.The village...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. It is this cross that gave Waltham the earliest suffix to its name. After Tovi's death around 1045, Waltham reverted to the King (Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
), who gave it to the Earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
(later king). Harold rebuilt Tovi's church in stone around 1060, in gratitude it is said for his cure from a paralysis, through praying before the miraculous cross.
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
in 1066, his body was brought to Waltham for burial near to the High Altar. Today, the spot is marked by a stone slab in the churchyard (originally the site of the high altar prior to the reformation).
In 1177, as part of his penance for his part in the murder of Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
refounded Harold's church as a priory of Augustinian Canons Regular of sixteen canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
s and a prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
. In 1184, this was altered and Waltham became an abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
with an abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
and twenty-four canons, which grew to be the richest monastery in Essex. To the abbey's west and south, the town grew up, with a single High street as late as 1848 (White's Directory of Essex). The town's dependence on the Abbey was signalled by its decline after the Abbey was dissolved in 1540, the last monastic house to be dissolved. (It was also known to be King Henry VIII favourite place for resting and finding peace, this is why it was the last working Abbey. Torn down only after all the others in the country had been destroyed)
Later history
In the 17th century, a gunpowderGunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
factory was opened in the town, no doubt due to good river communications and empty marshland by the River Lea. The factory was sold to the government in 1787 and was greatly expanded during the next century, becoming the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills
Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills
The Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey, an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, , set in of parkland and containing 21 buildings of major historical importance, mixes history, science, and attractive surroundings...
. In the 19th century, searches began for more powerful and reliant propellant explosives, and guncotton was developed here by Frederick Abel, starting in 1863. Cordite
Cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom from 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. Like gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates and consequently low brisance...
production began in 1891 and the site was enlarged several times. The site was an obvious target during World War II, and a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
V-2 rocket
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
landed near the factory in Highbridge Street on 7 March 1945, causing considerable damage to property and large loss of life. The factory eventually closed in 1943, and the site was developed into an explosives research establishment. There was also a fulling
Fulling
Fulling or tucking or walking is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker...
mill at Sewardstone around 1777 and a pin factory by 1805. Silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
and calico
Calico (fabric)
Calico is a plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may contain unseparated husk parts, for example. The fabric is less coarse and thick than canvas or denim, but owing to its unfinished and undyed appearance, it is still very cheap. Originally from the...
printing were also important industries. The River Lee Navigation
River Lee Navigation
The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea . Its course runs from Hertford Castle Weir all the way to the River Thames at Bow Creek. The first lock of the navigation is Hertford Lock the last being Bow Locks....
was also improved, a new canal cut across the marshes was opened in 1769, bringing more trade to the town. Outside the town, the parish is largely rural and agriculture has been an important occupation. In the first half of the 20th century, the area was extensively covered in glass-houses
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
and market gardens
Market garden
A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. It is distinguishable from other types of farming by the diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically, from under one acre ...
. Gravel extraction has also long been a major industry in the Lea Valley
Lea Valley
The Lea Valley, the valley of the River Lea, has been used as a transport corridor, a source of sand and gravel, an industrial area, a water supply for London, and a recreational area...
, leaving a legacy of pits now used for recreation and an important wildlife habitat. In the early 1970s, the population of the town increased by the development of housing estates and has developed into a dormitory town with pockets of light industry. The town now continues to grow due to its proximity to London and the high value of property in the area.
Notable buildings
- The Welsh Harp in the Market Square is a half-timbered inn ,mostly dating from the 15th century. The LychgateLychgateA lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
passage beside the inn leads to the churchyard. - A former inn, at the corner of Sun Street and the Market Square, is now a shop. A carved wooden bracket in the form of a hermaphroditeHermaphroditeIn biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
holding a jug supports the projecting upper storey. - The Town Hall in Highbridge Street, dating from 1904, is a fine and rare example of an Art NouveauArt NouveauArt Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
public building. - Two notable 18th century buildings are Essex House in Sewardstone Street and St. Kilda’s in Highbridge Street.
- At Upshire is a group of cottages known as the Blue Row. They are weatherboardedWeatherboardingWeatherboarding is the cladding or ‘siding’ of a house consisting of long thin timber boards that overlap one another, either vertically or horizontally on the outside of the wall. They are usually of rectangular section with parallel sides...
and with bark still visible on the roof.
Notable residents
- John FoxeJohn FoxeJohn Foxe was an English historian and martyrologist, the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, , an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history but emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the...
, the famous author of the Foxe's Book of MartyrsFoxe's Book of MartyrsThe Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe, more accurately Acts and Monuments, is an account from a Protestant point of view of Christian church history and martyrology...
lived in the town. His house now a street called 'Foxes Parade'. The book was hung in chains on a pillar in Waltham Abbey church. - BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
presenter Kate SilvertonKate SilvertonKate Silverton is an English journalist, currently employed by the BBC.- Early life and education :Silverton was born in Essex, England, the daughter of English parents; Terry Silverton, a black-cab driver turned registered hypnotherapist and Patricia Silverton, who now heads her daughter's...
grew up in the town.
Places of interest
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
Waltham Abbey is notable for the reputed grave of Harold II
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
, the last Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
King of England. Also in the town, housed in a building dating back to 1520, is the Epping Forest District Museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, which tells the story of the people who have lived and worked in this part of south Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
from the earliest times to the present.
On the site of a former gunpowder factory another museum illustrates the evolution of explosives and the development of the Royal Gunpowder Mills (an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage
European Route of Industrial Heritage
The European Route of Industrial Heritage is a network of the most important industrial heritage sites in Europe. The aim of the project is to create interest for the common European Heritage of the Industrialisation and its remains...
) through interactive and traditional exhibitions and displays. The site hosts living history and battle re-enactment events most summer weekends and also offers a self-guided nature walk that shows visitors the ecology that has reclaimed much of the remaining 175 acre (0.7082005 km²).
The former gravel pits in the Lea Valley and parts of the former Abbey Gardens are now in the care of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority is a statutory body that is responsible for managing and developing the long, Lee Valley Regional Park. The park was established by Parliament in 1967. The headquarters of the authority are based at Myddleton House, Bulls Cross in the London Borough of Enfield,...
for recreation use and nature conservation.
The Epping Forest
Epping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
Conservation Centre in High Beach provides information, maps, books, cards, displays and advice for visitors to the area.
Bus
Waltham Abbey is served by Essex County Council contract services as well as commercial services, linking the town to destinations in Hertfordshire, Essex and London.Railway
Waltham Abbey's nearest railway station is Waltham CrossWaltham Cross railway station
Waltham Cross railway station, opened in 1840, is a railway station that serves Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, England. It is also the closest railway station to Waltham Abbey, Essex, England...
which provides a frequent service to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Liverpool Street. Most bus services in Waltham Abbey serve the station.
The nearest London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
station is at Loughton
Loughton tube station
Loughton is a London Underground station, some two miles north of the Greater London boundary, in the Epping Forest district of Essex.It is served by the Central Line and lies between Buckhurst Hill and Debden...
.