Saffron Walden trip planner

Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is 12mi north of Bishop's Stortford, 18mi south of Cambridge and 43mi north of London. The town retains a rural appearance and some buildings dating from the medieval period. The parish's 2001 population of 14,313 had increased to 15,504 by the 2011 census.HistoryArchaeological evidence suggests continuous settlement on or near the site of Saffron Walden from at least the Neolithic period. It is believed that a small Romano-British settlement and fort – possibly in the area round Abbey Lane – existed as an outpost of the much larger settlement of Cestreforda to the north.After the Norman invasion of 1066, a stone church was built. Walden Castle, dating from about 1140, may have been built on pre-existing fortifications. A priory, Walden Abbey, was founded under the patronage of Geoffrey de Mandeville, first Earl of Essex about 1136, on the site of what is now Audley End village. The abbey was separated from Walden by Holywell Field. After the dissolution of the monasteries, Sir Thomas Audley converted its cloisters into a dwelling. Later this became the site of Audley End House.

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