Historic Waltham Abbey
Welcome to Historic Waltham Abbey. The word “Waltham” is an old English word for a “Settlement in a Forest” so it’s safe to assume the town gets its name from its proximity to Epping Forest and the fact one of the largest and most powerful Augustinian Abbeys could be found here. Today Lee Valley Regional Park Authority is responsible for caring for the nine acres of park which formed the main Abbey precinct. The Abbey of Waltham was built in 1184 and was the last Abbey to be destroyed by King Henry VIII in 1540, but there is still a wealth of remains showing the size and power of the Abbey. Not least of which is the current church which used to form the western end of the Abbey Church.
The Abbey of Waltham was so big it had its own blacksmith known as a “Forge”. This particular Forge was known as the Bloomery Forge as it had two “hearths” (the fire’s in which metal was heated) and two “anvils” (the large metal objects blacksmiths used to shape their metal on). This was one of the most expensive buildings in the Abbey as it was made entirely of stone and slate. The reason for this is if it was made of wood, as most buildings were at the time of its construction, it would have very easily caught fire! The forge would have provided most of the metal objects for the Abbey including horse shoes, nails, cups, bowls, knives, forks and spoons. The site of the forge was examined by archaeologists and this recreation was built on top of the original site.
The Gateway
This Gateway was the main entrance to the Abbey complex. Look at the left hand side of the gateway you can see how thick the walls were. The complex of buildings which made up the Abbey was surrounded by walls as thick as the one you see there. This is because Abbeys were very powerful and also considered to have great wealth with stories of hidden treasure being quite common. Therefore many Abbey’s protected themselves from those who may have tried to steal these treasures by fortifying themselves!
Why do you think there are two gateways and why are they different sizes?
The gateway on the left was for people on horse back or people with wagons or in carriages, these were usually the richer people. Peasants and common folk used the door on the right as they were almost always on foot and so could pass through this entrance.
Stoney Bridge
This bridge, known locally as “Stoney Bridge” due to its' appearance, was the only other access into the Abbey grounds other than the main gates. The Abbey was so large that it needed its own farm to provide the food the Canons needed. This farm was situated right next to the Abbey itself with the main buildings of the farm standing where the current roundabout is located at the southern end of the Crooked Mile (B194). The farm was responsible for providing grain from arable fields, fruit from the orchards, fresh milk and meat from livestock and fresh fish found in the large fishponds nearby. All of this would have been brought into the Abbey over the “Stoney Bridge”. King Harold (who fought and died in the Battle of Hastings, 1066) owned Waltham Abbey which means he may well have paid for the bridge to be built or even walked over it himself.
The Cloisters
The Canons of Waltham Abbey spent a large proportion of their day doing one of two things, either praying in the church of the Abbey or studying a wide variety of subjects in the Cloisters. This picture shows the entrance to the cloisters area which is all that remains today. The room was set out in a large square but with no roof in the middle because the middle of the area was actually a small courtyard and any Canons studying would sit in little sheltered cubicles all around the edge of the courtyard. A vow of silence was always observed in the Cloisters and if anyone broke that vow they would be punished. Punishment could include being made to pray for their god’s forgiveness for a day in the church, going without food for a day or having to do extra chores around the Abbey (usually the most unpleasant chores as well!).
The Church
Five churches have been built on the site of the current church in Waltham Abbey. Each has been built or expanded on the foundations of the previous church. The current church is all that remains of the Abbey church when it was at its largest size in 1540. When King Henry VIII decided to close down all Abbeys in the country many buildings were destroyed. At Waltham Abbey it was decided to pull down two-thirds of the church leaving the western end to be converted into a smaller church.