Waltham Abbey Gatehouse and Bridge

Waltham Abbey was one of the most prosperous and important abbeys in medieval England, the traditional resting place of King Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king, and later home to the early 13th-century Waltham Bible. Refounded as an Augustinian priory in 1177 and later raised to an abbey, it was the last monastic house in England to be surrendered to the Crown, in 1540, when it passed to the Denny family. What survives stands in Waltham Abbey Gardens, run by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority: the late 14th-century gatehouse, built with unusually large red bricks and separate arches for carriages and pedestrians, the 14th-century Stony Bridge over the Cornmill Stream, and walls of the house built after the Dissolution. Reviewers enjoy the walled and rose gardens and seek out Harold's grave beside the abbey church. Dogs on leads are welcome. Tip: a small free car park on Highbridge Street is close to the gatehouse.