Saffron Walden is a small market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located 12 miles (19 km) north of Bishop's Stortford, 15 miles (24 km) south of Cambridge and approx 35 miles (56 km) north of London. The town retains a picturesque, rural appearance and many very old buildings dating from the medieval period onwards. In 2001 the parish had a population of 15,095 although this has increased marginally since then.
There has been a village on or near the site of present day Saffron Walden since before the Roman occupation of Britain, when Bronze and Iron Age tribes settled in the area. After the Romans withdrew from the country, a flourishing Anglo-Saxon town was established.
With the Norman invasion of 1066, a stone church was built. The castle was constructed c.1116. A Priory, later to become Walden Abbey, was also founded under the patronage of Geoffrey de Mandeville, first Earl of Essex around 1136. The abbey was separated from the town of Walden by Holywell Field, which was enclosed in the sixteenth century to form part of the park of Audley End, the house of Sir Thomas Audley, who converted the abbey cloisters to a dwelling c. 1538-44. The inner or Little Court of the seventeenth-century house corresponds to one of the cloisters.
In 1141 the area’s market was transferred to the town from nearby Newport, further increasing the area’s influence. The town’s first charter was granted in 1300. This early town was known as Chipping Walden. The town was at first largely confined to the castle's outer bailey, but in the 13th century the Battle or Repell Ditches were built or extended, to enclose a new larger area to the south. The focus of the town moved southwards to Market Square.
In the medieval period the primary trade in Saffron Walden was in wool. However, in the 16th century and 17th century the saffron crocus (crocus sativus) became widely grown in the area. The flower was precious, as extract from the stigmas, the saffron, was used in medicines, as a condiment, as a perfume, as an aphrodisiac, and as an expensive yellow dye. This industry gave its name to the town and Chipping Walden became Saffron Walden.
By the end of the 18th century the saffron flower was no longer in such demand, and the flower was replaced by malt and barley. In the 1830s there were more than 30 maltings and breweries running. Although this trade was not so rewarding as the saffron, the town continued to grow throughout the 19th century, having a cattle market and building a library and other civic buildings. During this time Quakers became very active in Saffron Walden, the most influential family being the Gibsons, who aided in the construction of several buildings that remain today, such as the museum [1] and the Town Hall.
The 1900s saw expansion of the Saffron Walden branch railway line that extended from Audley End, on the mainline from london to Cambridge, to Bartlow. This closed with the Beeching cuts in the 1960s. Some light industrial areas to the east, in particular Acrow Ltd, makes of falsework and the south of the town were added to diversify the employment. In the 1980s major expansion of housing estates to the south expanded the housing stock significantly.
Today, Saffron Walden is a flourishing, beautiful and historic town. Because it has never been sacked or destroyed by fire, many of the buildings, streets and features, especially in the centre of town, date back centuries. Although the 1900s brought many changes and expansion, the character of the town and the valley in which it sits remains strongly intact.
Geoffrey de Mandeville, first earl of Essex died 1144.
Sir Thomas Smith, a 16th century scholar and diplomatist, born in 1513.
William Strachey, an early historian of the English colonies, born in 1572.
Henry Winstanley, creator of the first Eddystone Lighthouse, born in nearby Littlebury.
Diana Wynne Jones, British author, attended Friends School Saffron Walden from 1946 to 1952.
Tom Robinson, British Songwriter and Performer, attended Friends School Saffron Walden from 1961 to 1967.
Stephen McGann, British actor.
Charles Dunstone, CEO Carphone Warehouse, born in 1964
Raymond Williams, British cultural critic.
Stan Stammers, British Songwriter and Musician. (The Goats, Plastic Eaters, Spear of Destiny, Theatre of Hate, The Straps, Epileptics), attended Saffron Walden County High School.
Rachel Riley fictionally habits the area in 'My So-Called Life' by Joanna Nadin.