About WAHS

Waltham Abbey Historical Society currently has nearly 200 members spread across the globe, members with past and present connections with the historic town of Waltham Abbey in Essex, England.

We meet regularly in the centre of Waltham Abbey. A series of public Lectures (from September to May) is held in the Baptist Church, Paradise Road, Waltham Abbey, and occasional excursions are held for members in the summer months.

WAHS has borne many success stories over the last half-century:

■  Extensive archaeology and documentary study has revealed a very great deal of the history of the town and of its Abbey Church, spanning a period of over two thousand years from the Iron-Age to the end of the 20^th Century.

■  Relentless campaigning by WAHS with other local bodies and individuals in the 1960s and 1970s, saved the heart of the town centre, with historic buildings dating back as far as the 14^th century, from the planners’ attempts to replace it with yet another bland concrete jungle. We continue to monitor local developments that could affect the town's distinctive character.

■  Tireless dedication has seen a local museum, staffed by WAHS volunteers, open in different premises around the town over the years; eventually the struggle was won with the creation of a permanent local museum, the Epping Forest District Museum, which is run by Epping Forest District Council. WAHS loaned its collections of artifacts and documents to this museum at its inauguration in 1981.

Since 1981 we have continued to acquire historic items and documents, and our valuable archive collection now includes books, maps, photos, prints, and a wide range of ephemera, all of which powerfully reflect the rich heritage of Waltham Abbey.

We have been producing pamphlets and booklets ever since our earliest days, and our range of Publications is now extensive. Alongside the more modest booklets, our series of Millennium Projects present valuable source material in an easily accessible format.

Copyright Waltham Abbey Historical Society, 2007.