Main content
A new display at Epping Forest District Museum in Waltham Abbey will feature a mysterious axe head found during an audit of the museum’s collection.
King Harold II
Waltham Abbey is thought to be the final resting place of King Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England. The town commemorates the life of Harold every October with activities and events throughout the town marking the anniversary of his death at the Battle of Hastings.
As part of the festival, the museum will be opening a new display of an axe head. The axe head was found during the 1860 William Burges led restoration of the church, in the south aisle, four inches below the surface.
The original Victorian finders believed they had located the weapon used by the king at the Battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings and photographs from the time show the axe head on display in the church with the caption “Harold’s Battle Axe”.
Although we can never know for certain whether it was indeed Harold’s battle axe, the story shows the enduring fascination we have with King Harold II.
King Harold Day
King Harold Day in Waltham Abbey is on Saturday 12 October 2024. The Museum will be open 10am to 4pm, with free family trails and object handling opportunities and paid for storytelling, arts and crafts and Anglo-Saxon cooking sessions.
Other activities and events are happening at Waltham Abbey Church and Library. There will be a flower laying ceremony at Harold’s grave in the churchyard at noon by the King Harold Day Society.
The axe head display will be a new permanent display in the museum. The museum is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 10am to 4pm.
Find out more information on the Epping Forest District Museum website
Keep up to date
Keep in touch with our latest news, service updates and reports.