Though it is difficult to be precise and certain about the history of this interesting old building, there can be no doubt about its being a very old foundation, and having formed part of a large and important domestic structure. The great hall, which is the chief feature of the remains, is a very noble apartment, and must belong to a period earlier than the Tudors. It is 27 feet long by 21 feet wide, with a height of 36 feet to the centre of the arched roof. This is supported by ribs of chestnut wrought in the Gothic style. The sides are wainscoted, and the floor is paved with black and white marble. On the walls hang numerous portraits of kings and queens, statesmen, and others, most of them attributed to great masters. All I should like to say about them is that as portraits many are interesting. There are also some examples of chain and other armour and various weapons of war, as well as some curious pieces of furniture, said to have belonged to the mighty Cardinal. Several other apartments are open to visitors, and in one is a quaint rocking-horse reported to have belonged to Charles I., who was, of course, frequently at Theobalds in the days of his childhood. Grim and tragic stories are told about the underground chambers of this old place.
The handsome old parish church of St. Mary’s, which is seen from the Great House, pleasantly and serenely ensconced amid rich arboreal surroundings, is reached by a path through the fields opposite. Though its foundation dates back to a period anterior to the Conquest, for the church then existing was presented to the canon of the priory of Fulgar, in Brittany, by Constance, daughter of William of Normandy, the present church is a building of the sixteenth century, in the early Perpendicular or Transition style. It was erected by Nicholas Dixon, Clerk of the Pipe Office and Baron of the Exchequer, who held the Rectory, temp. Henry VI. Like many another parish church this of Cheshunt has undergone numerous alterations and additions, ill-planned restorations and barbaric effacements, but the survival is a beautiful building, of noble proportions and of no slight architectural interest. Perhaps its most noticeable feature is the fine stone and flint embattled tower, with an octagon cupola at the south-east corner. This probably replaced the spire which originally graced the tower, and from a date on the lead beneath would seem to have been erected in 1811. From another angle formerly projected a cresset, very similar to that on Hardley Church, near Barnet. The precise use of these old beacon lights on churches seems not to be very clear, but they were probably used as signals of alarm in troublous times.