Back to Waltham Abbey & with time to look round. The place has a very long & fascinating history of royal patronage going back to Cnut. It was endowed by King Harold (Godwinson) & in 1066 he diverted his march south to pray for victory at Hastings after the battle of Stamford Bridge where he defeated Harold Hardrada, another Viking claimant to the throne of England.(As we all know it didn’t work!) His body was later smuggled back to the Abbey & berried secretly. Henry 2 also endowed the Abbey in penitence for his murder of Thomas Becket. 
1) Check out the ceiling, & the Romanesque columns which are very similar to Durham built about the same time. The Abbey Church was also the parish church it is the only part of the massive monastery complex to survive. 2) the Rose Window is 19th C by Burn Jones. (his escapades were shown in the TV series)
1) Check out the ceiling, & the Romanesque columns which are very similar to Durham built about the same time. The Abbey Church was also the parish church it is the only part of the massive monastery complex to survive. 2) the Rose Window is 19th C by Burn Jones. (his escapades were shown in the TV series) 
3). Ruined abbey gate house & remains of moat. The abbey was also a favourite of Henry 8 but it did not save it! But it was the last of the monasteries to be given the chop.
4) This beautiful copper book clasp, is dated about the 6th C & depicts early Christian motifs (If anybody other than Ngaira is interested? check out my post on the Synod’s of Whitby & Hertford). Visiting a place like this brings to life all that 1066 stuff we did at school.