Saffron Walden

Town in Essex, England, 26 km/16 mi southeast of Cambridge, and 74 km/46 mi northeast of London; population (2001) 15,100. Its church, the largest in Essex, dates from the 15th century and has a spire that was added in 1832. Nearby are the remains of a Norman keep. The town takes its name from the saffron crocus, which was once cultivated here.

The Sun Inn was the headquarters of Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax in 1647. The grammar school, endowed in 1525, was re-established by Edward VI. A museum, built in 1834, houses local and other antiquities.

The Guild of Our Lady of Pity, which founded and managed an almshouse for 13 residents, was granted a royal charter in 1400. In 1513 Henry VII replaced this by a charter, giving wider powers, to the Guild of the Holy Trinity. This charter was renewed by Edward VI in 1549, by James II in 1685, and by William and Mary in 1694.

About 2 km/1 mi from Saffron Walden is Audley End, a 16th-century house with 40 ha/98 acres of parkland and gardens. It was enlarged in the reign of James I, and takes its name from Thomas Audley, Speaker of the Commons from 1529 to 1532, and later lord chancellor, to whom in 1538 Henry VIII granted the manor of Walden. The property is now in the care of English Heritage.