Saffron Walden, placed at the north-western tip of the County of Essex, is widely regarded as one of the most attractive towns in East Anglia. Typical of the area, the wealth of timber-framed buildings and plastered houses, often featuring the local 'folk art' craft of pargeting, make Saffron Walden a special place for the residents who live there and the many visitors that come to the town every year.

The fortunes of the town and its inhabitants have continually changed over the years and there are many buildings remaining today that reflect the prosperous periods during its development.

Originally called Walden, the settlement dates back to Saxon times but the real changes began in the 12th century. The Lord of the Manor, Earl Geoffrey de Mandeville, created a Benedictine Monastery at Audley End which was consecrated in 1136. The castle positioned at the top of the common followed and a charter issued by Queen Maud in 1141 to hold a market, probably held outside the castle gates, provided a new centre of trade in the area.

Further fortifications had also been introduced over the period, defining the boundaries of the town. The battle or 'repel' ditches to the west of the town were created in the 13th century, replacing and extending fortifications believed to date back to Saxon times. The castle – later rendered indefensible on the instructions of Henry III as a result of De Mandeville's wavering support of the monarchy – and activity surrounding it, certainly redefined the layout of the town but the real changes happened during the period c.1227–1240. This was when the market moved to its current location and surrounding it the arrangement of streets that we know today: High Street, Castle Street, Church Street and Museum Street, formerly Pudding Street.

A new commercial quarter around the market developed which still exists as Butcher Row and Market Row; the area would have been much larger than today, incorporating Pig Street and Fish Row amongst others which would have formed a network of narrow lanes or 'twitchells'.

The market was extended to include Tuesday in 1295 by order of the Abbey and the resulting growth led to the town being called Chipping (or Chepying) Walden by the 14th century.

On the dissolution of the monasteries the Abbey, lands and wealth were granted to Thomas Audley by Henry VIII.

The area's connections with London and the monarch are very evident and the construction of Audley End House in the middle of the 16th century by Thomas Howard, Treasurer to James I and grandson of Thomas Audley is probably the best example. The magnificent house we see now is only part of the original building which was at the time the largest house in England, being four times its current size.

It was around this time that the town became known as Saffron Walden. The cultivation of saffron (crocus sativus) – an Arabian plant used as a dye, in cooking and in medicine – had proved successful and the town enjoyed over two centuries of prosperity as a result. Over the same period there was a growth in the wool and malting trades and there are still signs today of the importance of, and wealth generated by, these industries. The Corn Exchange, as seen today, was built in 1848 and replaced The Woolstaplers' Hall, and the hall forming part of the Eight Bells Public House was used for wool trading. Many malthouses were built at the time – over 30 at its peak – and their 'cowls' (high tapering roofs for ventilation) dominated the town's skyline. Though few now remain, the most notable can be found on the junction of Bridge Street and Myddleton Place which is currently used as a Youth Hostel.

As the town grew some areas became associated with certain industries. The production of crepe in the early part of the 19th century was carried out in the area of East Street and Gold Street with over 900 looms operating. The Victorians' fascination with mourning ensured its success and during this period the town thrived.

By this time Saffron Walden had become a major town in north-west Essex. This was reflected in the construction of some important public buildings. The work house – later used for, and known as, Radwinter Road Hospital – was built in 1835 and at its peak housed up to 400 inmates; the impressive General Hospital building in London Road was designed by William Beck and was completed in 1866; and the Town Hall was given a facelift by architect Edward Burgess including the introduction of a half-timbered entrance to the original building, much to the amazement of the townspeople. Better examples of their fascination with past styles can be seen in the 'Victorian Tudor' Bank buildings of Eden Nesfield in 1874 and the Museum built in 1834 in the neo-Tudor style.

The most important building in the town is the church, built on high ground and dominating the landscape. The current church probably replaced an earlier Saxon one on the same site. Built over the period 1450–1525, its construction is in part credited to John Wastell who was also responsible for the Chapels at Eton and King's College, Cambridge. The addition of a wooden spire designed by Henry Winstanley, a resident of the town, was in place by the late 17th century but was replaced in the 19th century with a more traditional spire constructed from Bath stone and designed by Thomas Rickman. The earlier spire had after all been designed by Winstanley, who was the designer of the Eddystone lighthouse to which it bore a striking resemblance!

‘The Close’ is another important building constructed in the shadow of the church, on the junction of High Street and Castle Street. Built in the early 15th century this importand half-timbered house features a 'spider oriel window'. Owned in later years by the Gibson family, who had interests in brewing and banking, Francis Gibson was instrumental in creating Bridge End Gardens on the opposite side of Castle Street and his cousin opened The Fry Gallery – celebrating the Great Bardfield artists – leading to it. The gardens, designed by Francis Gibson who was himself a keen landscape gardener, comprise a series of formal and informal gardens that include a hedge maze, continuing a tradition started with the turf maze on the Common which dates back many centuries.

Over the years Saffron Walden has enjoyed many periods of prosperity interspersed with years of stagnation or decline. The transport links can in part be held responsible for this and when in 1835 the town was surveyed as part of the London to Cambridge railway line hopes for its future prosperity were raised. Unfortunately the intervention of Lord Braybrooke made the siting of a station in Saffron Walden impossible and the station we know as Audley End was constructed two miles from the town. This situation existed until 1865 when a branch line opened by the Saffron Walden Railway Company connected Audley End with Bartlow (a junction for the Cambridge – Sudbury line) and included a dedicated station in Saffron Walden. The station itself and supporting activity were located in the area known today as Station Road and the approach road Station Street. The railway operated until the 1960s when it was an early victim of the 'Beeching Act'.

The town of Saffron Walden offers residents and visitors a wealth of interesting buildings reflecting the styles and needs of the town over the centuries. Timbered houses are highly prized and now command the highest values. The 'folk art' which is so visible in the turf maze on the Common carries through with the pargeting – patterns and/or figures formed into the external render of the building, quite common in Essex – that appears on many buildings. The most famous of these is on the Sun Inn at the corner of Market Hill and Church Street, with its connections with Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army in the middle of the 17th century. Areas of the town which during bad times had deteriorated into slums, namely Castle Street and its various Courts and Yards that sprung up to house the poor, are now considered some of the most desirable houses in the town. The areas favoured by the rich – High Street, London Road, West Road, Audley Road, Borough Lane and Mount Pleasant Road – all include fine examples of the building styles of their respective periods.

Over the years the sympathetic refurbishment of period properties has ensured that the town we see now has retained the many and varied styles of the different periods over the years. The balance of history and current living needs seems to have been achieved; motor vehicles have been accommodated in spite of the narrow streets and tight turns and the green spaces have been retained. Change always provokes an angry response but good sense appears to have won through and as a result residents and visitors to the town of Saffron Walden can all enjoy a glimpse of the way things were.

© Anthony Marcos Limited