Located in the county of Essex, and around 12 miles south, and slightly east, of Cambridge is the town of Saffron Walden.

Originally the town's name was, simply, Walden - deriving from Old English for 'valley of the Britons'. In 1141, during the reign of King Stephen, a market charter was granted to Walden. Around this same period, a castle was built here. Its construction was ordered by Geoffrey de Mandeville II, 1st Earl of Essex, and was part of a series of castles built to reinforce his power in the region in the face of the civil war known as The Anarchy. This was fought between the supporters of King Stephen and those of Empress Matilda - Stephen's cousin and rival claimant to the throne. The castle is believed to have been slighted by orders of Henry II in the 1150s in the aftermath of the civil war.

By 1328 the town had become known as Chipping Walden, with the 'chipping' prefix deriving from an Old English word for market, as seen in Chipping Norton, Chipping Ongar etc. The 'saffron' prefix dates from the Tudor period, and was formalised in 1514 in a charter granted by Henry VIII. It was around this time that the saffron crocus was grown in the area and the saffron trade was at its peak.

At the heart of the town is St Mary's Church. This dates back to the 13th century, although the nave and tower were rebuilt in the 15th century. It is the largest parish church in Essex. Other notable buildings in the town include the Cross Keys Hotel from the Elizabethan era (first seen just after the 10-minute mark), and the Old Sun Inn dating back to the 14th century, renowned for its pargeting, i.e. external decorative plasterwork (seen just after the 15-minute mark).

In 1865 a railway station opened in Saffron Walden. This formed part of Saffron Walden Railway, which was a branch line between Audley End and Bartlow. The line connected the West Anglia Main Line from London to Cambridge with the Stour Valley Line from Marks Tey to Shelford (which has since been axed north of Sudbury). The station closed in 1964 as part of the Beeching Cuts - a controversial move to promote road travel by closing over 2,000 stations across Britain. The nearest station today is Audley End. Signage at the station displays it as 'Audley End for Saffron Walden', as the town centre is two miles away, so walking from there is an option. Alternatively there are regular buses from not only the station, but also nearby settlements including Cambridge, Haverhill and Thaxted among others.

👇 SUBSCRIBE TO 4K EXPLORER FOR NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK 👇
[ Ссылка ]

Filmed: 24th July 2023

Link to the walk on Google Maps: [ Ссылка ]

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 High Street
3:57 George Street
5:01 Cross Street
5:26 Market Row
6:39 Market Street
7:00 Hill Street
8:28 George Street
9:21 High Street
10:14 King Street
12:26 Market Hill
12:47 Market Street
13:48 Market Hill
15:00 Church Street
16:25 Church Path
17:56 Church Street
18:52 High Street

свернуть