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59-484: The FV4202 was built by Leyland Motors as a research vehicle for the FVRDE to test the conceptual layout of the proposed FV4201 Chieftain main battle tank. Three vehicles were built between 1955 and 1956. The weight of FV4202 was nearer 42 tons as the cast turrets were usually too heavy due to the fact that the manufacturers of the turret castings were paid by weight rather than per item. One vehicle - an amalgam of two vehicles -

118-562: A county review order in 1934, an area of 58 acres with a population of 23 (in 1931) was transferred to Chingford Urban District . The Enfield Island Village area was transferred from Waltham Abbey to the London Borough of Enfield in 1994. Over the centuries many channels have been dug to divide the River Lea and drain the westernmost land. These channels flow southward across Cheshunt Marsh and part of Waltham Abbey parish; As of

177-530: A prior or dean . In 1184, this was enlarged so that Waltham became an abbey with an abbot and twenty-four canons, which grew to be the richest monastery in Essex. The town grew to the west and south of the abbey. In 1189, the town was chartered by Richard the Lionheart to host regular markets and fairs. The market continues to run today, and is held at the town's market square on Tuesdays and Saturdays. In

236-593: A V12 Rolls-Royce Meteor . The Meteorite has a 18.01 litre (1,099 cu in) capacity and deliver 520 bhp (393 kW) at 2,700 rpm. The engine was coupled to a Merritt-Brown V52 gearbox originally developed for the Vickers Medium Cruiser Tank Mk. I. The FV4202 appears in World of Tanks , World of Tanks Blitz , World of Tanks: Modern Armor , and War Thunder video games . FVRDE The Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment ( MVEE )

295-548: A fish. The recorded history of the town began during the reign of Canute in the early 11th century when his standard-bearer Tovi or Tofig the Proud, founded (or rebuilt) a church here to house the miraculous cross discovered at Montacute in Somerset . It is this cross that gave Waltham the earliest suffix to its name. After Tovi's death around 1045, Waltham reverted to the King ( Edward

354-630: A new purpose-built camp in Chertsey on the site of the former RAF Chobham that was convenient for testing tanks on Chobham Heath . The Wheeled Vehicles Experimental Establishment (WVEE) was also formed out of the DTD in that year, and moved to Chertsey in 1943. In 1946 the DTD merged with WVEE to form the Fighting Vehicle Design Department (FVDD) at Chertsey alongside the FVPE. The FVDD was renamed

413-576: Is Waltham Cross , on the Lea Valley lines , around 25 minutes from London Liverpool Street and 30 minutes from Stratford . It is in London fare zone 7 and a mile from the town centre at neighbouring Waltham Cross. It opened in 1840 as "Waltham" and was named "Waltham Cross and Abbey" in 1894, but reverted to "Waltham Cross" in 1969. The station is planned for inclusion on Crossrail 2 . Other nearby railway stations include Chingford and Cheshunt , also on

472-452: Is a 17th-century timber framed and plastered building. It was given by Edward Denny, 1st Earl of Norwich to create the first curacy, but was much altered in the 18th century and later, and was more recently architecturally Grade II*listed . In the early 19th century the church held three Sunday services, including one in the evening for the local factory workers. In 1862, Holy Communion was celebrated monthly and attended by about 100. In

531-701: Is based at Waltham Abbey Town Hall on Highbridge Street. Waltham Abbey has formed part of the Epping Forest parliamentary constituency since 1974, represented by Dr Neil Hudson MP of the Conservative Party since 2024 . Prior to 1974, the town formed part of the Epping constituency, served by Sir Winston Churchill as its Member of Parliament between 1924 and 1945. Other previous MPs include Dame Eleanor Laing , Steve Norris , John Biggs-Davison , and Norman Tebbit . The ancient parish of Waltham Holy Cross

590-610: Is named and renowned for its former abbey , the last in England to be dissolved , now the Abbey Church of Waltham Holy Cross and St Lawrence —a scheduled ancient monument and the town's parish church . A place of worship since the 7th century, it became a place of pilgrimage following the Legend of the Holy Cross in the 11th century, and was rebuilt and re-founded by King Harold Godwinson ,

649-486: Is preserved at the Bovington Tank Museum and another one has been employed as a recovery training aid at SEME Bordon . The FV4202 test bed was built from readily available Centurion parts, such as the suspensions, smoke grenade dischargers, armament, hatches, cupola, sights and turret drive. It featured a reclined driver position, allowing the use of a well-sloped glacis plate and the "mantletless" cast turret

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708-621: Is the village of High Beach . In the south is Gilwell Park , which since 1919 has formed an important site for the worldwide Scout movement . Following the course of the River Lea along the town's western boundary with Hertfordshire and historic Middlesex is the Lee Valley Regional Park , where the Lee Valley White Water Centre hosted the canoe slalom events of the London 2012 Olympic Games . For over 300 years,

767-458: The 2021 census , the population of Waltham Abbey was 22,859, an increase from 21,149 in 2011. The majority of the population (82%) resides in the main built-up area, which had a 2021 population of 18,647. The 2021 census showed that 74.6% of the civil parish population identified as White British . 63.8% of the civil parish population was Christian at the 2011 census, with 25.3% declaring themselves irreligious . Minority religious groups include

826-597: The Battle of Hastings in 1066, Harold's body was brought to Waltham for burial near to the High Altar. Today, the spot is marked by a stone slab in the churchyard (originally the site of the high altar before the Reformation). In 1177, as part of his penance for his part in the murder of Thomas Becket , Archbishop of Canterbury , Henry II refounded Harold's church as a priory of Augustinian Canons Regular of sixteen canons and

885-624: The Epping Forest District of Essex , within the metropolitan and urban area of London , England , 13.5 miles (21.7 km) north-east of Charing Cross . It lies on the Greenwich Meridian , between the River Lea in the west and Epping Forest in the east, with large sections forming part of the Metropolitan Green Belt . The town borders Chingford to the south; Loughton , Theydon Bois and Buckhurst Hill to

944-776: The Fighting Vehicle Design Establishment (FVDE) in 1948. Four years later the FVPE and FVDE merged to create the Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (FVRDE). FVRDE and the Military Experimental Engineering Establishment (MEXE) at Christchurch amalgamated in 1970 to form the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment (MVEE). In 1984-5 Chertsey became the Vehicles Department of

1003-644: The Loughton post town of the IG postcode area , and the Sewardstone and Gilwell Park areas to the southwest are within the E postcode area of the London post town . The main settlement in the parish is the town of Waltham Abbey, and the other smaller settlements are the hamlets of Claverhambury, Fishers Green , Holyfield, High Beach , Sewardstone and Upshire . Claverhambury consists of approximately 15 homes and farms by two woods, Deerpark Wood and Stockings Grove, to

1062-638: The Ministry of Defence . In turn, DRA became a division of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 1995. The Chertsey and Christchurch sites were among those allocated to Qinetiq when DERA was broken up in 2001 with the intention that Qinetiq would be privatised, which happened in 2006. Technologies such as electric armour were retained within the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). The research staff at Chertsey were joined by

1121-550: The Muslim and Jewish populations, forming 1.7 and 1.1 percent of the population respectively. The medieval Waltham Abbey Church was kept as it was close to a town and is still used as a parish church. In addition there are other remains of the former abbey – the Grade II*listed Midnight Chapel, the gatehouse, a vaulted passage and Harold's Bridge – all in the care of English Heritage . These grounds are notable for

1180-735: The Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment (RARDE) as the MVEE and the Propellants, Explosives and Rocket Motor Establishment (PERME) based at Waltham Abbey and Westcott , merged with RARDE Fort Halstead . In the wake of the ending of the Cold War, RARDE merged with other research establishments in April 1991 to form the Defence Research Agency (DRA), an executive agency of

1239-610: The Royal Gunpowder Mills on the Millhead Stream were in operation, where many of the processes used in the explosives industry were invented and developed; it today forms a scheduled ancient monument site with many listed buildings , and is a site of special scientific interest . Historically an ancient parish named Waltham Holy Cross in the Waltham hundred of Essex, it became a local government district in 1850, and

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1298-590: The Waltham Holy Cross Urban District . The urban district council built itself the Town Hall in 1904 to serve as its headquarters. Following the Local Government Act 1929, in 1932 it was proposed that it should be merged with Chingford to form a new urban district of 'Chingford and Waltham Abbey'. The amalgamation was supported by Chingford Urban District Council but was not supported by

1357-402: The 17th century there were four churchwardens (who fulfilled some roles of local government, collected and distributing poor relief): one each for the town, Holyfield, Upshire, and Sewardstone. Joseph Hall , curate from 1608, was later Bishop successively of Exeter and Norwich. A complete diocesan list of curates was printed to 1888 and Thomas Fuller , author of The Worthies of England and of

1416-460: The 7th century. Traces of the flint rubble foundations of a 7th-century wooden church have been found under the choir of the present building; an associated burial has been radiocarbon dated to between 590 and 690. A proposed date of circa 610 would place its construction in the reign of Sæberht of Essex , who was noted for his church-building activities. Other finds included a 7th-century Kentish jewellery book-clasp depicting eagles grasping

1475-579: The American city of Waltham in Middlesex County , Massachusetts , and is twinned with the German town of Hörstel . The name Waltham derives from weald or wald "forest" and ham "homestead" or "enclosure". The name of the ancient parish was usually given as "Waltham Holy Cross" in civil matters and "Waltham Abbey" in ecclesiastical matters. The use of the name Waltham Abbey for the main settlement in

1534-552: The Confessor ), who gave it to the Earl Harold Godwinson (later king). Harold rebuilt Tovi's church in stone around 1060, in gratitude it is said for his cure from a paralysis, through praying before the miraculous cross. Waltham's people used the abbey as their parish church, and paid their tithes , worked the glebe as well any of their lord's land, and paid other dues to the canons. Legend has it that after his death at

1593-523: The Crooked Mile. Holyfield consists of approximately 11 homes and farms and is mostly on the western slopes of Monkham's Hill, near the top of which is situated Monkham's Hall. Seven buildings in the hamlet are architecturally listed . In the west are plant nurseries above lakes of the River Lea, and an arboretum and tree nursery separate the hamlet from the town to the south. It is located at grid reference grid reference TL385035 . Following

1652-719: The Greater London Conurbation, the urban district formed part of the review area for the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London . However, it did not subsequently become part of the Greater London administrative area created in 1965, because it was surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt and had limited connection to the London built-up area. The urban district was abolished in 1974 to become part of

1711-684: The Lea Valley and parts of the former Abbey Gardens are now in the care of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority for recreational use and nature conservation. The Epping Forest Conservation Centre in High Beach provides information, maps, books, cards, displays and advice for visitors to the area. There are no mainline or tube stations in Waltham Abbey itself, although there are several located nearby. The nearest mainline station

1770-679: The Lea Valley lines. The nearest London Underground station is Loughton , on the Central line . Local bus services were historically operated by London Buses , but are now run by various commercial operators. In 2024, the London Assembly agreed a motion calling on Transport for London to restore service between Waltham Abbey and neighbouring Chingford. Several local routes provide services to Cheshunt, Epping, Harlow, Loughton, and Waltham Cross, with operators including Arriva Herts & Essex and Central Connect. The M25 motorway runs through

1829-728: The Vehicles Branch of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in 1972, which became the Vehicles and Weapons Branch in 1982, the Army Technical Support Agency (ATSA) in 1995, and finally the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) Chertsey from 2000 until 2005. The DLO and its predecessors were responsible for the support and testing of all British Army vehicles. During the 1980s, vehicle testing

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1888-575: The Waltham Holy Cross Urban District Council, who feared increased rates and the potential loss of the annual fair and market. The lack of a direct rail connection between the districts was also highlighted. The review resulted in no amalgamation, and only a small transfer of territory from Waltham Holy Cross to Chingford following a county review order in 1934. As it formed part of the Registrar General's definition of

1947-430: The area was extensively covered in glass-houses and market gardens . Gravel extraction has also long been a major industry in the Lea Valley , leaving a legacy of pits now used for recreation and an important wildlife habitat. In 1959–60 all of the church's houses and land were converted to stock or bank investments. No rectory has existed – the benefice before becoming the present vicarage serving four churches in

2006-422: The county boundary with Hertfordshire , is the town's western boundary, and the eastern boundary runs through Epping Forest. The land rises gradually from the marshes and meadows by the river to a small plateau of london clay in the east, 60–90 metres above sea level , capped in the highest parts by the sand and gravel of Epping Forest. On the river the elevations range from 22m in the northwest to 13.5m in

2065-493: The development of the Royal Gunpowder Mills (an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage ) through interactive and traditional exhibitions and displays. The site hosts living history and battle re-enactment events most summer weekends and also offers a self-guided nature walk that shows visitors the ecology that has reclaimed much of the remaining 175 acres (0.71 km ). The former gravel pits in

2124-417: The east; Cheshunt , Waltham Cross and Enfield to the west; and the rural areas of Nazeing and Epping Upland to the north. As well as the main built-up area, the parish covers the areas of Claverhambury, Fishers Green , High Beach , Holyfield, Lippitts Hill , Sewardstone , Sewardstonebury and Upshire . As of the 2021 census , the civil parish of Waltham Abbey had a population of 22,859. The town

2183-578: The first History of Waltham Abbey , was curate 1649–58. In the 17th century, a gunpowder factory was opened in the town, no doubt due to good river communications and empty marshland by the River Lea and this now forms the museum below. The factory was sold to the government in 1787 and was greatly expanded during the next century, becoming the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills . In the 19th century, searches began for more powerful and reliant propellant explosives , and guncotton

2242-476: The last Anglo-Saxon king of England, in 1060. It is believed to be Harold's final resting place after his death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Open to the public as Waltham Abbey Gardens, the grounds of the abbey and Cornmill Meadows are maintained by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority . Along the town's eastern edge is much of Epping Forest , maintained by the City of London Corporation ; entirely within it

2301-632: The medieval and early Tudor periods , there were two guilds in the parish, each with an endowment for a priest: the Brotherhood of Our Lady, and the Charnel Guild, whose priest was also the parish curate. The former, which existed from at least 1375, occupied the Lady Chapel in the parochial part of the church. The Charnel Guild, which occurs as 'the Sepulchre' in 1366, probably used its crypt. Henry VIII

2360-560: The middle of the parish and can be accessed east of the town at Junction 26 via Honey Lane or the rural relief road, the A121 directly south of the motorway. The north-west of the parish contains part of the Lee Valley Park . Most of the parish, and the majority of its population, are within the Waltham Abbey post town of the EN postcode area . However, lightly populated parts to the south are within

2419-489: The new Epping Forest District. A successor parish was created covering the former Waltham Holy Cross Urban District, but with the new parish being named Waltham Abbey rather than Waltham Holy Cross. The new parish council created in 1974 resolved that the parish should have the status of a town under the Local Government Act 1972 , allowing it to take the name Waltham Abbey Town Council. The River Lea, which forms

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2478-508: The north-east of the town centre. Its bounds are the eastern slopes of Galley Hill. The western side of this hilltop is wooded. It is directly south of Epping Long Green, a tall ridge topped by the Stort Valley Way footpath between the towns of Epping and Harlow . Fishers Green is a locality 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the town of Waltham Abbey on the B194 road on the section known as

2537-505: The parish seems to have originated in the 16th century, although there has often been inconsistency in the use of the two names. Despite the similar name, the parish never included Waltham Cross on the opposite side of the River Lea , which formed part of the parish of Cheshunt in Hertfordshire . The civil parish of Waltham Holy Cross was formally renamed Waltham Abbey in 1974. There are traces of prehistoric and Roman settlement in

2596-486: The reputed grave of Harold II or "Harold Godwinson" , the last Anglo-Saxon King of England. Housed in a building dating back to 1520 is the Epping Forest District Museum , which tells the story of the people who have lived and worked in this part of south Essex from the earliest times to the present. On the site of a former gunpowder factory another museum illustrates the evolution of explosives and

2655-459: The southwest . To the southwest, occupying a former course of the River Lea, is the King George V Reservoir , opened in 1913. Cobbins Brook , a tributary of the River Lea, crosses the parish from east to west. Waltham Abbey parish includes in its 41 km the villages and hamlets of High Beach , Holyfield, Sewardstone and Upshire . The M25 motorway runs to the south of the town through

2714-476: The town, with the interchange for Junction 26 at Waltham Abbey. The main roads running through the town are the A112 and A121 . The Anglican abbey church is dedicated to St Lawrence. The town has long had a Catholic church . For some decades this was in a former Methodist chapel, an irregularly shaped Edwardian building of stone-dressed red brick with a roof of Welsh slate tiles in free late gothic style with

2773-447: The town. Ermine Street lies only 5 km west and the causeway across the River Lea from Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire may be a Roman construction. A local legend claims that Boudica 's rebellion against the Romans ended in the neighbourhood, when she poisoned herself with hemlock gathered on the banks of Cobbins Brook . There has been a church on the site of Waltham Abbey since

2832-602: The wider area was a perpetual curacy — a relevant fact for the purposes of chancel repair liability that therefore cannot exist. In the 1960s and 1970s, the population of the town increased, partly by an extensive programme of clearances and redevelopment in the town centre, and partly by the development of housing estates on the outskirts, such as Roundhills and Ninefields. There are three tiers of local government covering Waltham Abbey, at parish (town), district and county level: Waltham Abbey Town Council, Epping Forest District Council and Essex County Council . The town council

2891-459: Was a British defence research unit on Chobham Lane, Chertsey in Surrey. It was responsible for many innovations in armoured vehicle design, including ceramic Chobham armour . The Admiralty's Landships Committee was created in 1915 to oversee the development of what would become known as tanks . In the same year, the Design Department was set up at the Royal Arsenal , Woolwich . The Tank and Tracked Transport Experiment Establishment (TTTEE)

2950-413: Was a frequent visitor and is said to have had a house or lodge at Romeland, adjacent to the abbey. During their summer progress of 1532, Henry and Queen Anne Boleyn stayed at Waltham Abbey for five days. The town's dependence on the Abbey is signalled by its decline after the Abbey was dissolved and partially demolished in 1540, the last working abbey or monastery to be dissolved. Waltham Abbey vicarage

3009-412: Was also a fulling mill at Sewardstone around 1777 and a pin factory by 1805. Silk and calico printing were also important industries. The River Lee Navigation was also improved, a new canal cut across the marshes was opened in 1769, bringing more trade to the town. Outside the town, the parish is largely rural and agriculture has been an important occupation. In the first half of the 20th century,

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3068-444: Was built, with an internal gun mantlet. Having a shorter hull than the Centurion, the FV4202 only had five road wheels per side. The FV4202 was also lower than the Centurion due to the use of 28 inch-diameter road wheels (31 inch for the Centurion). The tracks were a narrower variant of the ones used on the early Centurion marks. The FV4202 is powered by the Rolls-Royce Meteorite V8 petrol engine which was, in essence, two-thirds of

3127-452: Was carried out by a sub-contracted company who provided drivers to test a range of military vehicles ascertaining a range of requirements from their ability to move over rough terrain through to their tipping point. Qinetiq sold the 315 acre Chertsey site to Crest Nicholson and Morley Fund Management (part of CGNU ) for redevelopment in November 2003. They submitted a plan for up to 113,434 square metres of development in 2005, which

3186-454: Was developed here by Frederick Abel , starting in 1863. Cordite production began in 1891 and the site was enlarged several times. The site was an obvious target during World War II, and a German V-2 rocket landed near the factory in Highbridge Street on 7 March 1945, causing considerable damage to property and large loss of life. The factory eventually closed in 1943, and the site was developed into an explosives research establishment. There

3245-437: Was formed at Farnborough in 1925, which in turn spawned the Mechanical Warfare Experimental Establishment (MWEE) in 1928. The MWEE was renamed the Mechanisation Experimental Establishment (MEE) in 1934 and in 1940 the MEE merged with elements of the Design Department at Woolwich to form the Department of Tank Design . In 1942 the DTD at Farnborough spawned the Fighting Vehicles Proving Establishment ( FVPE ), which moved to

3304-418: Was granted urban district status in 1894. The town was granted a charter to host a regular market by Richard I in 1189, and it remains a market town . Whilst the use of the name Waltham Abbey for the town dates back to the 16th century at the earliest, it never officially had that name until 1974, when the successor parish covering the former Waltham Holy Cross Urban District was named Waltham Abbey. It

3363-440: Was in the Waltham Hundred of Essex. The parish was divided into the township of Waltham Abbey and the hamlets of Upshire, Holyfield, and Sewardstone. The parish was included in the Metropolitan Police District in 1840. The whole parish was made a local board of health district in 1850, governed by a local board. Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894 , so it became

3422-419: Was included in the Metropolitan Police District in 1840, and the London postal district upon its inception in 1856. It formed part of the review area for the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London , but did not become part of the Greater London administrative area in 1965. Its administrative headquarters have been at Waltham Abbey Town Hall since 1904. The town most likely gives its name to

3481-429: Was later reduced. It now forms the backlot of Longcross Studios and has plans for redevelopment as residential. 51°22′54″N 0°35′33″W  /  51.38167°N 0.59250°W  / 51.38167; -0.59250 Waltham Abbey (town) 51°41′05″N 0°00′01″E  /  51.6846°N 0.0004°E  / 51.6846; 0.0004 Waltham Abbey is a suburban town and civil parish in

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