Welcome to SaffronShops.Com, the online information guide for Saffron Walden, Essex.
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Tourist Information Saffron
Walden
1 Market Place, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 1HR
Telephone: 01799 524002
Fax: 01799 524003
Click Here To Visit The
Official Tourist Board Website
Or the new Saffron Walden Tourist Information website at www.visitsaffronwalden.gov.uk
Places Of Interest In Saffron Walden
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St Mary’s Church
The church was built between 1470 and 1525 (Medieval period) following the huge success of the saffron trade which made the small market town very rich and is the largest church in Essex. It is made of flint and stone and was built up very high.
The church started off as Catholic but then in 1530 when Henry the eighth was on the throne it was changed to a Church of England and still is today. Inside you can appreciate how tall it is and you notice how very light it is, because of the large numbers of windows.
In the medieval times the church had no pews and every one had to stand. The stained glass windows were later smashed in the reclamation and furniture removed. The windows and interior were changed and now only a few stained glass windows remain.
A screen at the front of the church has recently been added but since the medieval time when it was built not much else remains than the actual church. It is roughly 20 metres high, 55 metres long and 28 metres wide. The spire of the church was added in 1832.
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The Castle
The castle is found on top of a man made hill and has walls two metres thick. All that remains of the Norman keep is the basement after all the rest was destroyed. It was quite a small castle and the walls were made from flint and mortar and a layer of bricks on the outside.
The main entrance to the castle is now about five metres from the ground as over time the earth around it has been eroded away leaving the entrance high up, that’s why we can see the basement now. The castle was about 30 metres wide and round.
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The Close
The house was built in the fifteenth century and has been home to many famous people, In the seventeenth century , the Baron family lived there and later John Strachey, an early student of geology.
The house was bought by Francis Gibson in the early eighteenth century an in the nineteenth century , it was used as a convent.
This house is very unusual because only half the building now stands in Saffron Walden as the other half was dismantled and then reassembled in Sussex. It has a spider window on the side of the house that was not common on medieval houses.
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Cross Keys Hotel
The Cross Keys Hotel stands on the corner of the High Street and King Street. Evidence suggests that this building is as early as 1375 and that in the past it has been used by Oliver Cromwells army. There are many ghostly stories surrounding this building in town and the top floor of the hotel is said to be haunted.
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Market Square
The market square provides free parking for 30 minutes during the day except on Market Days which are Tuesdays and Saturdays between 10am and 5pm.
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Walden’s Turf Maze
The Sign At The Maze Reads:
"The largest publicly owned turf maze in England. Date of original cutting unknown. In 1609, 15 shillings was paid for re-cutting the maze. It was also re-cut in 1828, 1841 and 1859. In 1911 the chalk path was laid with bricks set on edge. In 1979, the brick path was re-laid with bricks on their sides."
Stats:
Diameter: 35 meters
Path Length: 1500 meters
The Saffron Walden Turf Maze is a local mystery, alot of speculation surrounds it’s original purpose.
It is said that a tree once stood on the mound in the centre, but this is alleged to have been burned down during Guy Fawkes celebrations.
This ancient monument can be found on the Saffron Walden Common.
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Audley End House
Managed and run by English Heritage, Audley End house is situated just outside of Saffron Walden in the picturesque village of Audley End.
Audley End is Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.
Once the extensive cultivated estate of an Abbey during the Middle Ages the landscape of Audley End has seen many changes reflecting the various tastes of its owners and the fashion of their time. After being converted into a private home the Abbey was replaced by a vast mansion of which the present house is only a part.
The owner Thomas Howard, first Earl of Suffolk created a great formal garden to provide a suitable setting for his new house consisting of straight alleys and rectangular ponds with long avenues of trees stretching out into the countryside.
Audley End’s most notable owner, Sir John Griffin had very different ideas and during the 18th century the magnificent park was transformed from formal gardens into one of ‘Capability’ Brown’s most successful pastoral landscapes and remains substantially as it was when first created.
Later features include a restored Parterre garden, a rose garden and fountains, and the restored 19th century walled kitchen garden now in use as a working organic kitchen garden.
For opening times and further information, click here
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Bridge End Gardens
Bridge Ends gardens is well worth a visit, entrances to the gardens are via either Bridge Street or Castle Street.
The gardens were created by the Gibson family in the 1830s. The gardens are also home to a recently restored hedge maze, the key to which can be obtained from the Tourist Information Office in the Market Square
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Saffron Walden Museum
"The friendly, family-sized museum"
Museum Street, Saffron Walden,
Essex CB10 1JL
Telephone: (01799) 510 333
The museum opened in 1835 with the ruins of Saffron Walden’s 12th century castle in its grounds.
The museum has a wide range of topics to cater for all interests. All of them have fully illustrated information panels combined with items from the museum’s collections to take you through each of the topics.
The wide range of topics include : -
Special Exhibitions, events, holiday activities for all the family and opportunities for school visits make this a worthwhile place to visit.
There is something to please everyone
Opening Times
March - October
Monday - Saturday 10am-5pm
Sundays and Bank Holidays 2pm-5pm
November - February
Mondays - Saturday 10am-4:30pm
Sundays and Bank Holidays 2pm-4:30pm
Closed 24th and 25th December
Adults £1.00 Discounts 50p
Children (18 and under) FREE
Annual Season Tickets £3.00 and £1.50
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The Fry Art Gallery
The Fry Art Gallery is managed by the Fry Art Gallery society, a registered charity. It displays a changing exhibition from its permanent collection of work, done from 1920 to date, by artists who have made a significant contribution to British art and who have lived in north-west Essex. It principally contains works by artists who lived in, or near Great Bardfield in the period 1930-1960, and is the only Gallery bringing together the work of this circle.
The Gallery is open Saturdays and Sunday’s 2:30-5:30, between Easter Sunday and the last Sunday in October, and Bank Holiday Mondays.
Admission is free.
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