Saffron Walden

Our visit

We love the beautiful historic market town of Saffron Walden, located in North Essex. We have frequently driven through the town following visits to another favourite location, Cambridge only 15 miles away, on the scenic route via Thaxted and Great Dunmow back to our neck of the woods in Maldon.

The first time we actually stopped there was in 2025 to visit the wonderful Saffron Walden Museum, one of the oldest purpose-built museums in the country, opened in May 1835 by the Saffron Walden Natural History Society. Which is ironic as we both absolutely loved the natural history section of the museum, with Mary spending all of her time there, hence today's visit to learn even more about this lovely place!

However, we were stymied - although the website had confirmed that it was open, in fact, there was a training event taking place and it was closed to visitors. We politely explained that we had travelled from Maldon (nearly 40 miles away) specifically to revisit the museum, and the kind volunteer receptionist let us browse those sections situated away from the various training activities.

The first exhibit we encountered was a celebration of the centenary of Sir David Attenborough, exploring how Sir David’s documentaries and books have influenced our understanding of the natural world. Of particular note was the information about the museum’s World Cultures Gallery which he had opened in 1983.

The museum is located next to the impressive parish church of St Mary the Virgin, the largest in Essex, with an overall length of 183 feet, whilst the height of the tower and spire is 193 feet. It really felt like a cathedral.

We had had another short visit recently to the Fry Gallery nearby to see the exhibition of the Great Bardfield artists. We are particular fans of Eric Ravilious and it was wonderful to see his work alongside that of his artistic colleagues, Edward Bawden (friend) and Thirza Garwood (wife) in particular.

The historic streets and buildings in the centre of the town are testimony to its rich heritage, reflecting its wealth as a rural market town. On the day of our visit (Tuesday), we were lucky to see the thriving market which has been held here since 1141, Tuesdays and Saturdays being market day.

Regarding the name, it was first called ‘Walden’ and then ‘Chipping Walden’ until around 1500 when the saffron crocus was grown extensively in the area and the saffron trade was at its peak. The ‘Saffron Walden’ name was formalised by Henry VIII in a charter granted in 1514, which showed five saffron flowers in the margins. For more information, see the Saffron Crocus page on the Visit Saffron Walden website.