SAFFRONWALDEN

TOWNTRAIL

Illustrated

map

Guidetoplacesofinterest

ShorthistoryofSaffronW

alden

ASHORTHISTORYOF

SAFFRONWALDEN

Forthefourhundredyearsofthe

Romaneratherewasnevermorethanasmallsettlementin

whatthe

laterSaxoninhabitants

called"weala-denu"("Valleyofthe

Britons")andw

enow

callSaffronWalden.BythewritingoftheDomesdayBookin1086,however,therewasa

villageofabout120households.

Inthe

1130sand1140stheNormanLordofthe

ManorGeoffrey

deMandeville3rd

Earlof

Essex

didthreethingsthatledtoW

aldenbecomingthe

economicandadministrativecentre

ofthe

area;hebuiltthe

castle,movedthemarketfrom

NewportandfoundedaBenedictine

Priory.Thecastlekeepruinscanbeseentodayandthemarketis

stillheld

onTuesdaysand

Saturdays.ThePriorybecameW

aldenAbbeyin1190;itw

asgiventoSirThomasAudleyin

1538duringthedissolution

ofthe

monasteries,andheused

ittocreateAudleyEndHouse.

Inthe

1230stheEarlsofEssex,now

deBohuns,setoutanewambitioustownplan

including

some

earlierelements

withagridsystemofstreets,anew

marketplaceandanew

church.

These

elements

canstillbeseeninthetow

ncentretoday.Bythelate1300sthe

areaaround

Waldenhadbeguntogrowthe

saffroncrocusandbytheearly1500swasthe

centreofthe

saffronindustryinthiscountry.Suchwasitsimportancethatthetow

nadoptedthename

ofSaffronWaldenanditslegacyisreflected

inthe

wealthoftimber-fram

edbuildingsofthis

timeandthe

largestparishchurch

inEssex,completed

in1525.

SaffronWaldenhasamajorplaceinthe

evolutionofdemocracyinthiscountry.In

thespring

of1647withonecivilwarwon,the

NewModelArmy

underSirThomasFairfaxsplitwith

Parliamentandwasordered

notto

approachLondon.FairfaxsettledonSaffron

Waldenashis

headquartersandbilletedhissoldiersinthearea.Debateswereheldintheparishchurch

where

forthe

firsttimeeverordinarysoldiers

electedrepresentativestospeakfor

them.Eventually

evenOliverCrom

wellM

Pwaspersuadedtothrow

inhislotwiththe

NewModelArmy.

Thedeclineofthesaffronindustry

inthe

seventeenth

andeighteenthcenturyled

tolittle

developmentorexpansion

inthetow

n.Therewerefew

newhousesbuiltatthistimebutsome

refacing

ofold

housesanda

newGeorgian

townhallbuiltinthe

1760s.

Prosperityreturnedinthe

nineteenthcenturywiththe

growthofthe

maltingandbrewing

industriesandw

ithfarmingstillatthecentreofthe

area'seconomy.TheGibsons,whow

erebankersandbrew

ers,were

oneofthewealthiestfamiliesinthetow

n.TheywereQuakersand

greatphilanthropistsandwereinvolvedinthe

founding

ofthe

museum,

thelibrary,the

hospital,the

transfer

ofthe

Friends’Schooltothe

townfromCroydon,diggingwellsand

eventually

bringing

thebranchlineofthe

railwayin1865.TheVictorianprosperityis

reflected

inbuildingsaroundthe

MarketSquareandtothesouth

ofthe

town.

Changesinthetwentiethcenturyhaveincludedthe

demiseofthe

branchline

ofthe

railway

in1964,thestoppingoftheregularlivestockmarkets,largemodernhousing

developments

onthe

outskirtsandlatterlyinfilldevelopmentsinthe

towncentre.Saffron

Waldentodayhas

apopulationofsome15,000peopleandiswidelyrecognisedasasafe,healthyplacetolive

withineasy

reachofLondonandCambridge.

Fundedby

ALMSHOUSESParkLaneandAbbeyLane

Theearliestalmshousewasbuiltin1400

bya

charityfounded

byJohn

andElizabeth

Butler.Thebuildingwasintheform

oftwocourtyardseachwithtendwellings.After1633thebuildingfellintodisrepairandthosenow

groupedinParkLaneandAbbeyLanewerebuiltin1834andarethereplacementsandextensionsoftheoriginal.AUDLEY

ENDHOUSE

&GARDENS

AudleyEnd,CB11

4JFTel:01799

522842www.english-heritage.org.ukBuiltb yThomasHoward,EarlofSuffolk,LordTreasurertoKingJamesI.AudleyEndisoneofEngland’smostmagnificentstately

homeswithover30

lavishlydecorated

rooms,interiorsbyRobertAdam

andawonderful

collectionof

paintingsandfurnishings.ExploretheCapabilityBrown

parkland,19 thcentury

parterreand

theorganicwalledkitchengarden,stablesandservicewing.AUDLEY

ENDMINIATURE

RAILWAY

TheAudleyEnd

Miniature

Railwayissituated

acrosstheroadfromAud leyEndHouse.Itwas

firstopenedin1964andnowconsistsofa1.5mile

(2.4km)rideonLordBraybrooke’sprivate10 1/4inch

gaugeminiature

railwaythrough

estatewoodland.Children

allenjoylooking

forthe

teddieshiddeninthewoodswhileadultswillbereminded

ofabygone

era.www.audley-end-railway.co.ukBAPTIST

CHURCHHighStreet

In1774

theBaptists

splitwiththeir

fellowNonconformists

whoworshipped

inAbbey

LaneIndependent

Church.Theybought

anorchard

o nthepresentsiteand

builtthefirstBaptistchurch

there.Thepresentchurchwas

builtin1878-9.Itslatestaddition

istheglassdoorwith

asaffroncrocusdesign.In

frontofthechurchisthetown’swarmemorial.THE

COMMON

&TURFM

AZEThe

oldestofSaffronWalden’sopen

spaces,theCommon,isameadow

onwhichthelocalpeoplehadgrazingrightsanditwasalsousedforsucheventsastournaments.Ontheeasternsideisthelargestturflabyrinthstillsurviving

inEurope.Th e‘path’windsforaboutonemilethrough

theturfwithinacircle100

feet(30.5mtrs)indiameter.FRIENDS’M

EETINGHOUSE

HighStreetTheQuakersstillgatheratthismeetingplaceintheHigh

Streetwheretheyfirstmetin

1676.The

Meeting

Housewas

alteredmany

timesovertheyearsandwasrebuiltinthe1870sbytheGibsons.FRIENDS’SCHOOL

MountPleasantRoad

TheFriends’Schoolmovedfrom

Croydonto

SaffronWalden

in1879,when

thepresent

establishmentwasbuiltofredbr ick

andina

TudorstylebythearchitectEdwardBurgess.SAFFRON

SCREENSaffron

Walden’s

Independent,notforprofitcinema,open

everyFriday,Saturday,Sunday

andMonday,

withadditional

screeningsin

schoolholidays.Thecinemashowsarangeofmainstream,

independent,art-house

andchildren’sfilms,aswellasawiderangeoflivespecial

events.Opened

in2006,

ithas

acomfortable

200seatauditorium

withawide

screenand

fullsurroundsound,refreshments

andfre eparking.www.saffronscreen.comSAFFRON

HALLSaffron

Hallisan

awardwinning,730

seatperformance

spacewithin

thegrounds

ofSaffronW

aldenCounty

HighSchool.Saffron

Hallhostsanannualseason

ofconcertsandeventsfeaturinglocal,nationalandinternationalartists.Opened

inNovember

2013,the£10

millionhallhasamuch-praisedflexibleacousticandstate-of-the-artfacilitiesthatsurpassthoseofmoreestablishedvenues.www.saffronhall.comUNITED

REFORMED

CHURCHAbbey

LaneThe

placeof

worshipfor

anotherof

theNonconformistgroups,the

UnitedReformed

Churchwasbuiltin

1811asa

CongregationalChapel.W

ithanIonic

four-columnportico,it

replacedtheoriginalchurch

of1694,whichin

turnwasbuiltonthesiteofthebarnwherethecongregationfirstworshipped.

FordetailsofopeningtimesandanyotherinformationcontactSaffronW

aldenTouristInformationCentreon:01799524002

OTHERPLACESOFINTEREST

INSAFFRON

WALDEN

ToC

amb

ridg

e&

M1

1

B184

BR

IDG

EEN

DG

AR

DEN

BridgeSt

LITTLE WALDEN RDB1052

ToLt.W

alden

&Lin

ton

Tow

nTrailA

rea

Swan

Mead

ow

Car

Park

Park

LaneA

bb

eyLan

e

HIGHSTREET

Geo

rge

StreetH

ill Street

GoldSt

FairycroftRd

EastSt

AU

DLEY

RO

AD

District

Co

un

cilO

fficesLON

DO

NRDDEBDENROAD

SOUTHROAD

Borough

Lane

Mo

un

tP

leasant

Ro

ad

Friend

sSch

oo

l

ToD

ebd

en

Au

dley

End

Ho

use

&M

iniatu

reR

ailway

2M

ile

Au

dley

End

Ro

ad

Co

un

tyH

igh

Scho

ol

Saffron

ScreenSaffro

nH

all

2M

ilesto

Au

dley

End

Railw

ayStatio

n

Wendens Ambo Road

Newport Road

PLEASANTVALLEY

PEA

SLAN

DS

RO

AD

Lord

Bu

tlerLeisu

reC

entre

On

eM

inet

SkateP

ark

ASH

DO

NR

OA

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Ash

do

n

RA

DW

INTER

RO

AD

B1053

ToR

adw

inter

&H

averhill

THAXTEDROADB184

ToTh

axted&

Gt.D

un

mo

w

ASaffronWaldenInitiativeProject

TOURISTINFORM

ATIONCENTRE

MarketPlace,CB101HR

Tel:01799524002OpeningTimes:Mon–Sat9.30am

–5.00pmBankHolidays10.30am

–1.00pm(ApriltoAugustonly)BUSESThemainbusstopsareontheHighStreet.FortimetablescontacttheTouristInformationCentre.RAIL

TRAVELThenearestrailwaystationisatAudleyEndStation,about2miles(3.2km)from

thecentreofSaffronW

alden.RailEnquiries–Tel:08457484950CAR

PARKINGFairycroftRoad–shortstay&

cycleracksTheCommon–shortstay&

cycleracksRoseandCrown–shortstaySwanM

eadow–shortandlongstay&

coachparking

TOILETSHillStreet,8am

–6pmBridgeEndGarden,restrictedopeningtimesPOLICE

STATIONEastStreet,CB101LX

Tel:101LIBRARY2KingStreet,CB101ESTel:01799523178MARKETS

HeldintheMarketPlaceonTues&

Sat.MUSEUM

SaffronWaldenM

useum,Museum

Street,CB101JLTel:01799510333www.saffronwaldenmuseum.orgFRY

ARTGALLERY

OffCastleStreet,CB101BDTel:01799513779foropeningtimeswww.fryartgallery.org

www.visitsaffronwalden.gov.uk

www.facebook.com/saffronwaldenTwitter:@swtic

SWI_TRAIL_FINAL_2015_Final:SWI_TRAIL_FINAL_2013 15/12/15 23:53 Page 1

For t

he fo

ur h

undr

ed y

ears

of t

he R

oman

era

ther

e w

as n

ever

mor

e th

an a

sm

all s

ettle

men

t in

wha

t the

late

r Sa

xon

inha

bita

nts

calle

d “w

eala

-den

u” (

“Val

ley

of th

e B

riton

s”)

and

we

now

ca

ll Sa

ffron

Wal

den.

How

ever

, by

the

time

the

Doo

msd

ay B

ook

was

writ

ten

in 1

086,

ther

e w

as

a vi

llage

of a

bout

120

hou

seho

lds.

In th

e 11

30s

and

1140

s th

e N

orm

an L

ord

of th

e M

anor

Geo

ffrey

de

Man

devi

lle 3

rd E

arl o

f Es

sex

did

thre

e th

ings

that

led

to W

alde

n be

com

ing

the

econ

omic

and

adm

inis

trativ

e ce

ntre

of

the

area

; he

built

the

cast

le, m

oved

the

mar

ket f

rom

New

port

and

foun

ded

a B

ened

ictin

e Pr

iory

. The

cas

tle k

eep

ruin

s ca

n be

see

n to

day

and

the

mar

ket i

s st

ill h

eld

on T

uesd

ays

and

Satu

rday

s. Th

e Pr

iory

bec

ame

Wal

den

Abb

ey in

119

0; it

was

giv

en to

Sir

Thom

as A

udle

y in

15

38 d

urin

g th

e di

ssol

utio

n of

the

mon

aste

ries,

and

he u

sed

it to

cre

ate A

udle

y En

d H

ouse

.

In th

e 12

30s

the

Earls

of E

ssex

, now

de

Boh

uns,

set o

ut a

new

am

bitio

us to

wn

plan

incl

udin

g so

me

earli

er e

lem

ents

with

a g

rid s

yste

m o

f st

reet

s, a

new

mar

ket p

lace

and

a n

ew c

hurc

h.

Thes

e el

emen

ts c

an s

till b

e se

en in

the

tow

n ce

ntre

toda

y. B

y th

e la

te 1

300s

the

area

aro

und

Wal

den

had

begu

n to

gro

w th

e sa

ffron

cro

cus

and

by th

e ea

rly 1

500s

was

the

cent

re o

f th

e sa

ffron

indu

stry

in th

is c

ount

ry. S

uch

was

its

impo

rtanc

e th

at th

e to

wn

adop

ted

the

nam

e of

Sa

ffron

Wal

den

and

its l

egac

y is

refl

ecte

d in

the

wea

lth o

f tim

ber-f

ram

ed b

uild

ings

of

this

tim

e an

d th

e la

rges

t par

ish

chur

ch in

Ess

ex, c

ompl

eted

in 1

525.

Saffr

on W

alde

n ha

s a

maj

or p

lace

in th

e ev

olut

ion

of d

emoc

racy

in th

is c

ount

ry. I

n th

e sp

ring

of 1

647

with

one

civ

il w

ar w

on, t

he N

ew M

odel

Arm

y un

der

Sir T

hom

as F

airf

ax s

plit

with

Pa

rliam

ent a

nd w

as o

rder

ed n

ot to

app

roac

h Lo

ndon

. Fai

rfax

set

tled

on S

affr

on W

alde

n as

his

he

adqu

arte

rs a

nd b

illet

ed h

is so

ldie

rs in

the

area

. Deb

ates

wer

e he

ld in

the

paris

h ch

urch

whe

re

for t

he fi

rst t

ime

ever

ord

inar

y so

ldie

rs e

lect

ed re

pres

enta

tives

to s

peak

for t

hem

. Eve

ntua

lly

even

Oliv

er C

rom

wel

l MP

was

per

suad

ed to

thro

w in

his

lot w

ith th

e N

ew M

odel

Arm

y.

Ther

e w

as li

ttle

deve

lopm

ent o

r exp

ansi

on o

f the

tow

n in

the

17th

and

18t

h ce

ntur

ies

due

to

the

decl

ine

of th

e sa

ffron

indu

stry

. How

ever

, the

re w

as s

ome

refa

cing

of o

ld h

ouse

s, an

d th

e G

eorg

ian

Tow

n H

all w

as b

uilt

in th

e 17

60s.

Pros

perit

y re

turn

ed i

n th

e ni

nete

enth

cen

tury

with

the

gro

wth

of

the

mal

ting

and

brew

ing

indu

strie

s an

d w

ith fa

rmin

g st

ill a

t the

cen

tre o

f the

are

a’s

econ

omy.

The

Gib

sons

, who

wer

e ba

nker

s an

d br

ewer

s, w

ere

one

of th

e w

ealth

iest

fam

ilies

in th

e to

wn.

The

y w

ere

Qua

kers

and

gr

eat

phila

nthr

opis

ts a

nd w

ere

invo

lved

in

the

foun

ding

of

the

mus

eum

, th

e lib

rary

, th

e ho

spita

l, th

e tra

nsfe

r of

the

Frie

nds’

Scho

ol t

o th

e to

wn

from

Cro

ydon

, dig

ging

wel

ls a

nd

even

tual

ly b

ringi

ng t

he b

ranc

h lin

e of

the

rai

lway

in

1865

. Th

e V

icto

rian

pros

perit

y is

re

flect

ed in

bui

ldin

gs a

roun

d th

e M

arke

t Squ

are

and

to th

e so

uth

of th

e to

wn.

Cha

nges

in th

e tw

entie

th a

nd tw

enty

-firs

t cen

turie

s hav

e in

clud

ed th

e de

mis

e of

the

bran

ch li

ne

of th

e ra

ilway

in 1

964,

the

stop

ping

of

the

regu

lar

lives

tock

mar

kets

, lar

ge m

oder

n ho

usin

g de

velo

pmen

ts o

n th

e ou

tski

rts a

nd l

atte

rly i

nfill

deve

lopm

ents

in

the

tow

n ce

ntre

. Sa

ffron

W

alde

n ha

s a g

row

ing

popu

latio

n of

15,

000

peop

le a

nd is

wid

ely

reco

gnis

ed a

s a sa

fe, h

ealth

y pl

ace

to li

ve w

ithin

eas

y re

ach

of L

ondo

n an

d C

ambr

idge

.

TOU

RIST IN

FOR

MATIO

N C

ENTR

EM

arket Place, CB

10 1HR

Tel: 01799 524002O

pening Times:

Mon – Sat 9.30am

– 5.00pmB

ank Holidays 10.30am

– 1.00pm(Easter to A

ugust Only)

BUSES

The main bus stops are on the H

igh Street. Fortim

etables contact the Tourist Information

Centre or consult w

ww.essexbus.info

RA

IL TRAV

ELThe nearest railw

ay station is at Audley End

Station, about 2 miles (3.2 km

) from the centre

of Saffron Walden.

Rail Enquiries – Tel: 03457 484950

ww

w.greateranglia.co.ukC

AR

PAR

KIN

GFairycroft R

oad – short stay & cycle racks

The Com

mon – short stay &

cycle racksR

ose and Crow

n – short staySw

an Meadow

– short and long stay &coach parking

TOILETS

Hill Street, 8am

– 5pm

Bridge End G

arden, restricted opening times

POLIC

ETel: 101LIBR

AR

Y2 K

ing Street, CB

10 1ES Tel: 0345 603 7628M

AR

KETS

Held in the M

arket Place on Tues & Sat.

Winner of B

est Small O

utdoor Market in the

2018 Great B

ritish Market Aw

ards.M

USEU

MSaffron W

alden Museum

, Museum

Street,C

B10 1JL Tel: 01799 510333

ww

w.saffronwaldenm

useum.org

FRY

AR

T GA

LLERY

Off C

astle Street, CB

10 1BD

Tel: 01799 513779 for opening times

ww

w.fryartgallery.org

One-way vehicular access

ALM

SHO

USES

Park Lane and Abbey Lane

The earliest almshouse w

as built in 1400 by a charity founded by John and Elizabeth B

utler. The building w

as in the form of tw

o courtyards each w

ith ten dwellings. A

fter 1633 the building fell into disrepair and those now

grouped in Park Lane and A

bbey Lane were built in 1834 and are

the replacements and extensions of the original.

AU

DLEY

END

HO

USE &

GA

RD

ENS

Audley End, C

B11 4JF Tel: 01799 522842

ww

w.english-heritage.org.uk/audleyB

uilt by Thomas H

oward, Earl of Suffolk, Lord

Treasurer to King Jam

es I. Audley End is one of

England’s most m

agnificent stately homes w

ith over 30 lavishly decorated room

s, interiors by paintings and furnishings. Explore the C

apability B

rown

parkland, 19th

century parterre

and the organic w

alled kitchen garden, stables and service w

ing.A

UD

LEY EN

D M

INIATU

RE R

AILW

AYThe

Audley

End M

iniature R

ailway

is an

exciting 1.5 mile train ride through the Essex

countryside perfect for a day out with all the

family! Spot the m

any Teddies in their Teddy B

ear Houses around the track or try and find the

Fairies and Elves through the Enchanted Woods!

ww

w.audley-end-railway.co.uk

BAPTIST C

HU

RC

H H

igh StreetIn 1774 the B

aptists split with their fellow

N

onconformists w

ho worshipped in A

bbey Lane Independent C

hurch. They bought an orchard on the present site and built the first B

aptist church there. The present church w

as built in 1878-9. Its latest addition is the glass door w

ith a saffron crocus design. In front of the church is the tow

n’s w

ar mem

orial.

THE C

OM

MO

N &

TUR

F MA

ZEThe oldest of Saffron W

alden’s open spaces, the C

omm

on, is a meadow

on which the local people

had grazing rights and it was also used for such

events as tournaments. O

n the eastern side is the largest turf labyrinth still surviving in Europe. The ‘path’ w

inds for about one mile through the turf

within a circle 100 feet (30.5 m

trs) in diameter.

FRIEN

DS’ M

EETING

HO

USE H

igh StreetThe Q

uakers still gather at this meeting place

in the High Street w

here they first met in 1676.

The Meeting H

ouse was altered m

any times over

the years and was rebuilt in the 1870s by the

Gibsons.

BATTLE DITC

HES

The medieval earthw

ork popularly known as

the Battle D

itches is the surviving SW corner

(visible today linking Gibson G

ardens to Abbey

Lane) of a large, rectangular circuit enclosing the m

edieval town area. The course of the ditch,

now m

ostly buried, has been traced round much

of the town through archaeological excavations

over the years. It is perhaps best referred to as the Tow

n Ditch, as it w

as essentially a Norm

an and m

edieval boundary marker.

SAFFR

ON

SCR

EENSaffron W

alden’s Independent, not for profit cinem

a, open every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and

Monday,

with

additional screenings

in school holidays. The cinem

a shows a range

of m

ainstream,

independent, art-house

and children’s film

s, as well as a w

ide range of live special events. O

pened in 2006, it has a com

fortable 200 seat auditorium w

ith a wide

screen and full surround sound, refreshments and

free parking. ww

w.saffronscreen.comSA

FFRO

N H

ALL

Saffron Hall is an aw

ard winning, 740 seat

performance space w

ithin the grounds of Saffron W

alden County H

igh School. Saffron Hall hosts

an annual season of concerts and events featuring local, national and international artists. O

pened in N

ovember 2013, the £10 m

illion hall has a much-

praised flexible

acoustic and

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6. The Eight BellsThe Eight Bells is one of the 27 Grade II* listedbuildings in Saffron Walden and is an amalgam ofdifferent elements. The range at right angles to theroad is fifteenth century while the street frontage is alate sixteenth century addition which features a continuousfirst floor jetty or oversailing developed to create bigger rooms onthis floor. It has a fine carved bressumer beam which is the exposed horizontal beam that supportsthe upper floor. The building is one of the few buildings in the town with both first and groundfloor windows in their original positions. The memorial on the bridge over the Madgate Slade toChief Constable Campling commemorates his murder after he left the Eight Bells pub one night -his alleged assailant was found not guilty at trial.

2. The Old Sun InnThe crossroads at which the Old Sun Innstands has timber framed buildings on allfour corners. The Old Sun Inn is a range ofGrade I listed homes and shops dating fromthe fourteenth century with many differenttypes of decorative plaster work called‘pargetting’. These include incised repeatpatterns, some freehand designs and laterbas-relief of birds and fruit, possibly datingto 1676. The end gable (pictured) showstwo figures and opinion is divided as towhether they are Tom Hickathrift and TheWisbech Giant or Gog and Magog.

3. Museum and Castle RuinsThe museum collections are housedin one of the oldest purpose builtmuseum buildings in the country,completed in 1835. Its ethnographiccollection is of national importance. Ithas everything from mammoth tusks to mummies, from an earlyTudor bed to a natural history gallery. Walden Castle was built byGeoffrey de Mandeville 3rd Earl of Essex in the 1130s or 40s. The keep ruins of flintand mortar (pictured) are all that remains, but the line of the inner and outer baileyhelped create the shape of the town centre today. The ruins are Grade 1 listed.

4. Castle StreetThis street was part of the new townplan of the 1140s but most of thetimber framed hall houses now datefrom around 1500. Some of thehouses are Grade II* listedproperties with many examples ofancient and modern pargetting.There are a number of unusual

Wealden houses, the easiest to identifyis at No 49/51 (pictured). This style of hall house under a single roofis normally associated with Kent. The house also has sliding sashwindows which are commonly found in Saffron Walden houses. Bythe 1800s this was the poorer section of town with many of thehouses divided into small cottages. Clear breaks in theroof lines give clues as to the extent of the original houses.

10. The RowsAt the start of the Rows, on the corner of KingStreet and Cross Street stands a large latefifteenth century hall house (pictured). Thehouse shows clearly how large houses weredivided into three different elements with theopen hall section having its roof raised in theeighteenth century. The Rows were thetown’s shopping centre from medieval timesonwards, with 33 of the 46 shops in the townsited there in 1630. The shops started as

market stalls and progressed to become permanent home and business premises combined.On Cross Street are some of the best preserved Tudor shop windows which had shutters thatopened to provide a counter and a canopy over the goods.

9. The Old Cross KeysThe Cross Keys is a fifteenthcentury timber framed formerhouse and shop with lateradditions. The roof was raised inthe early nineteenth century andnew windows added on the groundand first floors of the King Streetfrontage. The plaster on the entiretimber framed section was taken offin the early twentieth century and some first floor windows reinstated.At the corner of King Street and High Street on the ground floor aretwo of the original fifteenth century shop windows.

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1. Market PlaceThe market is still held here on Tuesdays andSaturdays as it has been since the thirteenthcentury. The Market Place is dominated byVictorian buildings. Barclays Bank was designedby Eden Nesfield as a bank for Gibson & Co. in1874. The stone portico and timber framedadditions to the Georgian Town Hall weredesigned by Edward Burgess and were a gift tothe town from George Stacey Gibson in 1879.The Tourist Information Centre is housed here.The drinking fountain (pictured) was also agift to the town from the Gibson family in

1863 to commemorate the marriage of The Prince of Wales toPrincess Alexandra of Denmark. The Library, once The CornExchange, is of Italianate style designed by Richard Tress andcompleted in 1848.

5. Fry Art Gallery and Bridge End GardenThe path to Bridge End Garden passes the Fry Art Gallerywhich was built in 1856 by Francis Gibson to hold hispersonal art collection. It was then inherited by hisdaughter Elizabeth Fry. Since 1987 it hashoused a collection of the works of theGreat Bardfield group of artists who settledin the Essex countryside in the 1930s.Started by his father, it was Francis Gibsonwho expanded Bridge End Garden introducinga Dutch garden, rose garden, kitchen garden,wilderness area, hedge maze and a lovely south facinglawn with a summerhouse (pictured). The gardenhas now been restored with help from the HeritageLottery Fund.

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8. Parish Church of St Mary the VirginThe earliest features of the largest parish church in Essexdate from 1250 but the majority of the church was rebuiltin the Perpendicular style between 1470 and 1525. Thechurch size reflects the wealth of the town at the heightof the saffron trade. With the addition of the spire in1832 the tower is 193 feet (59m) high. The interior of the

church has a wonderful organwith spectacular Trompeta Realpipes, nine medieval brassesand some fine stained glasswindows. Among themonuments are Lord Audley’sBelgian slate tomb in the southchapel and R.A.Butler’smemorial plaque, his grave beingat the east end of the churchyard.www.stmaryssaffronwalden.org

7. 1, Myddylton Place and The Close1, Myddylton Place (pictured) is Grade I listed and is one ofthe finest medieval buildings in the town. It was built as acombined shop, home and warehouse in the 1490s.There is a fine doorway into Bridge Street and acarved dragon post on the corner. The sack hoistin the roof was added in the early nineteenthcentury when part of the building wasconverted to a malting. Diagonally acrossthe road from Myddylton Place standsThe Close, a fine late fifteenth century timberframed house with later additions including an unusualseventeenth century ‘Spider’ window.

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The path to Bridge End Garden passes the Fry Art Gallery which was built in 1856 by Francis Gibson to hold his personal art collection. It was then inherited by his daughter Elizabeth FrySince 1987 it has housed a collection of the works of the Great Bardfield group of artists who settled in the Essex countryside in the 1930s. Started by his father, it was Francis Gibson who expanded Bridge End Garden introducing a Dutch garden, rose garden, kitchen garden, wilderness area, hedge maze and a lovely south facing lawn with a summerhouse (pictured). The garden has now been restored with help fromthe Heritage Lottery Fund. Bridge End Garden wascommended in the 2018 UK Heritage Awards as a “Hidden Gem”. www.fryartgallery.org