Waltham Cross - The Eleanor Cross

The Eleanor Cross

At the centre of the town is one of the three surviving medieval Eleanor Crosses, a memorial commemorating the over-night resting place of Queen Eleanor’s coffin on its processional journey from Lincoln to Westminster Abbey in 1290. The cross is hexagonal in plan,in three stages. The main stage has three statues of the Queen, each standing in a niche under a canopy, while the other three faces have a niche bisected by a buttress. The original sculptures were by Alexander of Abingdon. These have been replaced in the course of restoration,but one of the originals can be seen on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The monument was surveyed by the Society of Antiquaries of London who, advocating its conservation, printed and illustrated the results in the pages of Vetusta Monumenta. in 1721. However, restoration did not take place until 1832, when extensive rebuilding was carried out under WB Clarke. A further major restoration was carried out in 1885-92, and yet another in 1950-53.