Waltham Abbey

The gatehouse and bridge at Waltham Abbey are among the remnants of one of the great monastic foundations of the Middle Ages. The abbey is the traditional resting place of King Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king.

Harold II’s father, Harold Godwin, Earl of Wessex, is said to have been cured miraculously of paralysis by praying before the Holy Rood (or Cross) at Waltham, and in gratitude refounded the church there in 1030. It was again rebuilt in the early 12th century and the nave of this third building remains in use today.