Waltham Abbey, Essex

Waltham Abbey is one of the oldest monastic sites in England, situated about sixteen miles north of London. Its buildings once covered a large area, but all that have survived are part of a late 14th Century gatehouse and a 12th Century church. De Wint has depicted these two monuments, bringing them closer together than they actually are and reducing the impact of secular buildings which had, by the 19th Century, encroached on the site.

We are most grateful to Keith Brown for information on the provenance of this watercolour and for Timothy Wilcox for suggesting a date of circa 1840.

For a note on the provenance see lot 74.