Neil Mcallister visits the colourful East Anglian town of Saffron Walden
Neil Mcallister heads to Essex to explore this mediaeval town.
BACK in mediaeval times, East Anglia was a thriving part of the country, with great wealth being created through the wool trade. Towns such as Lavenham grew rich, then saw the economic carpet pulled from under their feet.
Walden, where Essex meets Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, had grown on wool wealth, but the small town nestled below a Norman castle had another string to its bow: the surrounding fields were perfect for the cultivation of crocus sativus, source of saffron, one of the world’s most expensive seasonings.
Whilst we mainly use saffron for its subtle flavour and colour, its medicinal properties have long been appreciated. High in Vitamin B, it has been used as a treatment for breathing ailments like whooping cough and asthma, whilst saffron tea helps prevent memory loss and is believed to cure depression.
Today this spice/ condiment/colouring is more expensive ounce for ounce than gold, which explains why local merchants were able to build such fine houses and construct Essex’s largest parish church, which stands on a dominant spot above the town.
From the 1400s to late 1600s Walden was so associated with this crop that it had become part of its name, but when imported saffron killed the
trade, Saffron Walden became frozen in time.
Beautiful, timber-framed houses remained untouched and unimproved, leaving us with a unique architectural legacy where most of the town centre has listed status.
The town, however, is no museum piece. It is a thriving, living community.
On the tree-lined high street, the Quaker Meeting House hints at the part this peaceful group played in making Saffron Walden the civilised town it is today.
The Gibson family epitomised the Quaker ethic of hard work and fair play. Many generations of Gibsons generated wealth originally through brewing and banking, but it ceased in the 1830s when temperance principles caused them to create a safe drinking water supply and sell their pubs.
In 1862 Wyatt Gibson left money to build a hospital (now the council offices on the road out of town to Audley End) but many readers will have a connection with Gibson’s Bank, which later became Barclays, a fine branch of which still dominates the market square.
At the time of our visit one of the Gibson pubs, the Old Sun Inn on Church Street, was for sale, so if you fancy living in a historic, architectural gem you stand a chance.
The junction on which this impressive timberframed building stands has similar buildings on all four corners, although the Old Sun’s jetties and gables, beautifully decorated with the decorative plasterwork called pargeting, are spectacular.
Many other houses feature patterned façades, often with a flower motif commemorating saffron.
The best place to discover this fascinating history is the museum, one of Britain’s first purpose built.
Completed in 1835 beside the castle ruins, it was meant to educate by exposing local people to different cultures, but we found the displays explaining local history completely engaging.
Perched on a ledge, Wallace the Lion was once part of George Wombwell’s famous menagerie. This local entrepreneur started business with a pair of snakes, then expanded his touring collection to include all manner of exotic animals, which he toured around the country.
The Gibson family’s philanthropy continued through Francis Gibson, who built a lovely public garden with a maze at Bridge End.
On the other side of town a more ancient turf maze contains a mile-long path within a 100-foot-wide circle. It is much easier negotiating the low clipped box planting which leads to a central fountain in one of the many small gardens which comprise this lovely park.
One entrance passes the Fry Art Gallery, built by Francis to hold his personal collection, which today is home to paintings and drawings which look very familiar.
From the 1930s to the 1950s, nearby Great Bardfield was home to a group of artists whose illustrations were widely used in post-war books and travel posters. Amongst the most famous was Eric Ravilious, who followed pre-war landscapes with a distinguished career as a war artist.
This end of town is particularly pretty. Castle Street is lined with houses dating from the early 1500s, some of which were built as hall-houses with one large central room.
But when the town fell on hard times these became home to poorer folk, and many were sub-divided into much tinier dwellings.
Bridge Street starts with Myddleton Place, a beautiful timbered building which was built in the 1400s as combined shop, house and warehouse.
Leading down to the bridge are a series of lovely houses and the Eight Bells Inn. Like many houses, this has its ancient
origins buried amongst later additions, but still serves as a hostelry, unlike the Sun in Gold Street, which is now a private home, but retains its attractive old Ridley’s Brewery sign.
Gold Street itself leads down towards the old market area. Parking here, as in much of the centre, is restricted, but if you can find a space in Caton’s Lane car park, all-day parking is free.
The other long-stay car park off Bridge Street is much larger, but costs the best part of a tenner for a day.
The Rows behind the town hall is the old trading area where merchants would conduct their business. The narrow streets are a pleasant place to stroll and indulge in some gentle shopping.
Grey Palmers, a traditional outfitter that has been kitting out better-dressed locals since the earliest years of Queen Victoria’s rule, proved lucky.
I have been looking for a specific hat for ages and found the perfect one here for ten pounds less than it cost on the internet.
Outside the shop, a local lady pointed out the Old Cross Keys across the road.
“It looks a bit odd as the roof was raised, but look at the bottom windows. That is where people traded from in the past.”
When we asked how far it was to Audley End, she pointed down Abbey Lane.
“Carry on straight past the almshouses to a big iron gate. It opens on to a path – part of the Saffron Way – which cuts through the fields to the estate. It will take you about twenty minutes.”
In the event, we kept stopping to admire the view as the path passed between farmland and a swathe of what looked like borage plants until we reached the road, where the verge doubles as a nature reserve.
Audley End house was enlarged by Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, to impress the King, on the site of Walden Abbey. His conviction as Lord Chancellor for corruption, extortion and bribery could explain how he was able to afford to convert his home into a palace.
Shortly after, the house was reduced to merely magnificent scale, with a colourful parterre garden replacing the earlier palatial building.
If you are not a member of English Heritage and pay the entrance fee, it is worth devoting a few hours to make the most of the house and gardens, including the kitchen garden behind the stables, which are impressive in their own right.
We ended our visit at the market, which has been held on Tuesdays and Saturdays since the 1100s.
Framed by the library in the lovely old Corn Exchange building and the town hall, with stalls surrounding the ornate drinking fountain, this interesting collection of traders impressed my personal shopper.
While Hazel browsed a clothes stall I got out my camera and the mist descended, swathing the church in a chilly veil as it filtered out the sunlight.
My advice to buy long johns was met with an equally chilly look, just as the sun’s rays returned to this delightful Essex town. n