Saffron Walden
| Saffron Walden | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52 ° 2 ′ N , 0 ° 15 ′ E | ||
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| Residents | 14,313 | ||
| administration | |||
| Post town | SAFFRON WALDEN | ||
| ZIP code section | CB10-11 | ||
| prefix | 01799 | ||
| Part of the country | England | ||
| region | East of England | ||
| Shire county | Essex | ||
| District | Uttlesford | ||
| Civil Parish | Saffron Walden | ||
| British Parliament | Saffron Walden | ||
Saffron Walden is a Market Town in District Uttlesford in the county of Essex in England . The city is located 15 miles south of Cambridge and approximately 35 miles north of London .
history
The area around Saffron Walden was already settled in the Bronze Age. After the Romans withdrew from Britain, an Anglo-Saxon community emerged, and a stone church, the castle and the nearby Walden Abbey were built in the 12th century. At that time, the Newport area market was also relocated to Saffron Walden. The most important commodity in the Middle Ages was wool. From the 16th century onwards, the cultivation of saffron crocuses became very important in the area. The plant was very valuable as saffron was obtained from the pistils of the flowers. Saffron was used in the Middle Ages as a medicine, spice, perfume, and even to dye fabrics. Saffron Walden got its current name through the cultivation of saffron. At the end of the 18th century, the need for saffron was no longer so high and the cultivation was gradually replaced by barley . On December 26, 1969, a fire in the 15th century Hotel Rose and Crown left 11 people dead.
Today, Saffron Walden is a well-preserved historic town with examples of architecture from the 12th century to modern times.
Attractions
Saffron Walden is home to the largest parish church in Essex. Most of St. Mary the Virgin dates from the 15th century. The current tower structure was completed in 1832 and is the tallest in Essex at 193 feet (59 m). In addition, you will also find the ruins of Walden Castle from the 12th century, which was either built or at least expanded by Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex . Nearby is the largest surviving lawn maze in England, 100 feet (30 m) in diameter.
Also worth seeing is Audley End House in Audley End, approx. 5 km away, a mansion founded in the 12th century as a Benedictine abbey.
Town twinning
Saffron Walden has had a town partnership with Bad Wildungen in Hesse since 1986 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Recordinguttlesfordhistory.org.uk: Saffron Walden
- ^ In Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung on December 27, 1969: "Eleven fatalities in a hotel fire in England