August 5, 2025 • posted in ArticlesSaffron Walden College During the years 1884-1977 Saffron Walden College for Mistresses had a distinguished historyRead More
July 31, 2025 • posted in ArticlesClavering Castle: a mysterious moated monument Clavering Castle, which lies next to the Parish Church, is a large moated site designated by English Heritage as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, of Saxon or medieval origin.Read More
July 27, 2025 • posted in ArticlesNational Trust in Saffron Walden and North-West Essex The National Trust in recent years has spoken out about the damage that could accompany ill-considered decisions to build on green-field sites as a result of the relaxation of current planning policies.Read More
July 26, 2025 • posted in NewsGold pendant found at Thaxted The piece of jewellery shown above is a 6th Century replica of a Byzantine coin and was found by a metal detectorist near Thaxted, Essex and the discovery of such an early medieval gold coin pendant “literally sheds a light” on a period of a county’s history about which little is known. It was minted in Europe and then broughtRead More
July 23, 2025 • posted in ArticlesSarah Chesham, The Archetypical Poisoning Woman Sarah Chesham was a working-class, illiterate woman who lived at Ponds cottages in Clavering. She was charged with murder (poisoning with arsenic) and tried on four occasions,Read More
July 19, 2025 • posted in ArticlesChurchmans of 16th and 17th century Walden, Wenden and Littlebury People of the middling sort were rare in the 16th and 17th century. In the arable areas of Essex, most people were either farm labourers (i.e. essentially, peasants) or were part of the small, all-powerful gentry.Read More
July 15, 2025 • posted in ArticlesNumber 1 Myddylton Place, Saffron Walden,the History and Architecture Saffron Walden’s Youth Hostel stood on the corner of Myddylton Place and Bridge Street, once the main trading route and busy thoroughfare leading from London to Cambridge.Read More
July 11, 2025 • posted in ArticlesPrivate Boarding Schools for Females c.1791-1861 or ‘Establishments for Young Ladies’ with emphasis on Saffron Walden Ladies’ Schools After 1779 many private schools sprang up to cater for the needs of those who were not only dissatisfied with the old- fashioned, grammar schools for their sons, but also wanted education for their girls.Read More
July 8, 2025 • posted in ArticlesChurches of North-West Essex In 1973 the National Association of Decorative & Fine Art Societies or NADFAS (Now known as The Arts Society) set up an ambitious project to record all the features of churches, including names of artists, manufacturers, donors and those commemorated.Read More