Waltham Abbey Interior. The columns and arches above are Norman: the east windows and surrounding stonework and the reredos with scenes from the nativity were added in the latter half of the 19th century. This church was originally part of the Abbey church; medieval pilgrims would have seen a building three times as long as the present nave. There was a low screen separating the nave from the canonical parts of the church, which meant that when the abbey was destroyed in 1540, the townspeople were able to claim the nave as their parish church and it was allowed to remain.