Everything about Waltham Abbey Abbey totally explained
Waltham Abbey is an
abbey church, first consecrated in
1060, in the town of
Waltham Abbey, Essex,
England
History
Waltham Abbey was founded in
1030 and a building was constructed on the site by
Harold Godwinson (aka King Harold II). In
1177 the abbey was refounded as an
Augustinian foundation. At this point extensive additional building works were carried out, although the nature and extent of these still await detailed research. The rebuilding, in the
Early English style, made the abbey far more extensive than the original
Norman establishment, as can be seen today from traces in the abbey grounds.
The Augustinian abbey was a popular place for overnight stays with kings and other notables who were hunting in
Waltham Forest. It was the last abbey in
England to be
dissolved, in
1540.
Thomas Tallis was the last organist at the Abbey prior to its dissolution.
Henry VIII suggested Waltham as one of the new cathedrals for the
Church of England, but the proposal wasn't implemented.
Description
All of the eastern parts of the Abbey were demolished at the Dissolution, as was the original Norman
crossing. The present-day church consists of the
nave of the Norman abbey church, the 14th-century
Lady Chapel and west wall, and a 16th century tower, added after the Dissolution. Markers on the remains of the walls in the grounds indicate the location, before demolition, of the high altar (beneath which some believe Harold Godwinson is buried), and other parts.
The interior is notable for the massive Norman
piers and also for the many carvings of human faces nestling in the stonework left by the original masons.
Recent architectural history
In 1859, the architect
William Burges was appointed to undertake a restoration of the site and a refurbishment of the interior. The restoration was extensive; the removal of pews and galleries from the South and West, the creation of a new ceiling (showing signs of the
zodiac as at
Peterborough Cathedral), significant re-building and the creation of a new chancel. The designs were exhibited at the
Royal Academy. Work was complete by 1876.
The Abbey's stained glass is particularly noteworthy, including early work by
Edward Burne-Jones in the rose window and lancets of the east wall, and
A K Nicholson in the Lady Chapel. Much was destroyed during
The Blitz.
In the view of Burges's biographer,
J. Mordaunt Crook, "(Burges's interior) meets the
Middle Ages as an equal." However the architectural historian
Nikolaus Pevsner states that Burges's remodelling was carried out "with all the robust ugliness which that architect liked".
Links with Harold Godwinson
Harold's links with the area, (although only his connection with the original foundation can be proven) persist. The local secondary school,
'King Harold School', is named after the last Saxon King of England.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Waltham Abbey Abbey'.
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