150,000 PIECES of PORCLAIN

Grou_p visit to_ WALTHAM ABBEY June 86.

UNDER THE TITLE OF WALTHAM ABBEY-AN IMPORTANT HERITAGE- REG MASON. Hon FRPS. GAVE A POTTED HISTORY AND SUGGESTED A VISIT IN NEWSLETTER No: 7. This was duly put into effect thanks to the prior arrangements made by Mr Mason who acted as leader. His · early initiation was in a school party and no doubt his schoolmaster would be grat-ified by his continuing enthusiasm which has included reading the lesson in the Abbey Church. My own first visit was in 1925 when encouraged by a passion-ate and elderly history mistress (who-could well have been a camp follower at the battle of Hastings) I walked the tidy way from Wanstead only to find the church locked and, not having the 6d required to unlock the verger, I had to turn round and walk back.

However the Group's visit was much more successful and we were guided by Dr.Ken Bascombe of the Waltham Abbey Historical Society who is a fountain of knowledge of the church and the town. He described the tradition of T

Holy Cross, the rise and fall o monastery and the structural c which had taken place over the

After hearing that the West end been strengthened Victor took an ava light shot of our guide by leanin · camera against the pillar. After it was "Fix Tri-pods" to record is the oldest Norman church in the thanks to the endowment by Haro

May 1060. Six Years later his bod brought back to the church and t reputed resting place just Eas the present building. From the photographer's poi view the Abbey Ghu rch is we 11 _daylight - this also applies to large ancient wall painting in the chapel, re-discovered in 1876 and ercent ly restored. After the m session iin and around the Ch conveniently before the weddings lunch was had in the "Green or in the green sward of the Abbey