saffron
walden
historical society

Featured image for “Lief Aalbu’s Scrapbook”
January 31, 2025 • posted in Articles

Lief Aalbu’s Scrapbook

Amongst the papers of former Town Clerk H. C. Stacey in the Saffron Walden Town Library is a cheap red scrapbook that provides a unique insight into life in Saffron Walden during the second half of WW2
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Featured image for “Thaxted’s John Webb Windmill to be restored”
January 30, 2025 • posted in News

Thaxted’s John Webb Windmill to be restored

John Webb’s or Lowe’s Mill is a 221 year old Grade II* listed[1] tower mill at Thaxted, Essex, England, which was closed to the public in 2018 after eroding brickwork led to extensive internal damage.
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Featured image for “Saffron Walden Borough Arms                           Deo Adjuvante Floremus”
January 24, 2025 • posted in Articles

Saffron Walden Borough Arms Deo Adjuvante Floremus

In 1784 William Robinson jnr made a drawing which included the Borough Arms as used then, based on the 1688 seal made after the 1685 Charter.
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Featured image for “St. Mary’s, Saffron Walden Burial Registers 1558-1892”
January 16, 2025 • posted in Articles

St. Mary’s, Saffron Walden Burial Registers 1558-1892

The burial registers officially continue until the end of 1856, when the churchyard was closed for burials due to overcrowding
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Featured image for “Seventeenth Century Copper Tokens of Saffron Walden: a commentary”
January 10, 2025 • posted in Articles

Seventeenth Century Copper Tokens of Saffron Walden: a commentary

Copper farthing and halfpenny coins were issued in the mid-17th century by the town’s tradesmen in the absence of royal copper coinage.
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Featured image for “Boys’ British School, Saffron Walden: Memories, 1937-1964,”
December 29, 2024 • posted in Articles

Boys’ British School, Saffron Walden: Memories, 1937-1964,

‘A man’s world’ – or so it seemed to me when I joined the staff of B.B.S. in 1937.
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Featured image for “Church Porches -Book Launched”
December 14, 2024 • posted in News

Church Porches -Book Launched

The church porches of medieval England are among the most beautiful and glorious aspects of ecclesiastical architecture; but in comparison with its stained glass, for example, they have been relatively little studied. This book, the first detailed study of them for over a century, gives new insights into this often over-looked element.
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Featured image for “Saffron Walden Town Hall”
December 11, 2024 • posted in Articles

Saffron Walden Town Hall

A book with the title ‘Accct of Town Hall & New Buildings begun 1761’ in the town archives is endorsed ‘Samuel Fiske 1826 given me by J. Wolfe Esq’.
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Featured image for “New Henry Winstanley Book Launched”
December 4, 2024 • posted in News

New Henry Winstanley Book Launched

Successful book signing on 3rd December 2024 by Martin Rose. A recently published new biography of Henry Winstanley, the Saffron Walden engineer, engraver, lighthouse-builder and theatrical entrepreneur was launched on 3rd December 2024 at the Old Sun Inn, Church Street, Saffron Walden . As Douglas Kent (owner of the Sun Inn) said, the Winstanley family were known to have associations
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Featured image for “Remembrance Day Parade and Related Posts”
November 10, 2024 • posted in News

Remembrance Day Parade and Related Posts

Sunday 10th November saw the annual Remembrance Day Parade, which took place at the top of the High Street by the War Memorial. The Society has a number of posts and articles relating to both World War I and World War II.
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Featured image for “American air bases during World War Two in East Anglia- their Impact”
November 8, 2024 • posted in Articles

American air bases during World War Two in East Anglia- their Impact

In 1939 there were only 1,700,000 people living in East Anglia. The main industry continued to be centred around agriculture, but the East Anglian economy was in a poor state in the pre-war period.
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