Saffron Walden has recently been declared to be 'The Best Town in Britain', and it just happens to be where my family comes from.
The 'Grandfather Clock' of which I am custodian, was made for the family in nearby Newport, just South of Saffron Walden, in 1736, and has (obviously) remained with us ever since. It will pass to Kimbo in time.
I'm not totally sure but I think the family were small farmers. I know they owned a part of Wicken Fen which was known for its Reed production, so maybe they were Thatchers as well. But they might have simply sold the Reeds to Thatchers; I just don't know.
A late Aunt (my father's cousin) told me that they'd owned 60 square miles of fenland, but that CAN'T POSSIBLY have been true; it would have been most of East Anglia! Even 6 square miles would have been a lot. I suspect it might have been 6 acres. Wicken Fen later became the first property owned by The National Trust.
In the 16th and 17th Centuries the town was known for its Saffron production; hence the name.
Architecturally the town contains several important, and beautiful, early buildings.
The churchyard still contains a number family graves. I really must go there some time!
I don't know if the photographer was just lucky, but doesn't it look nice without cars parked everywhere.
It does indeed seem like a magical place, I wonder if there are still people living on these streets.
ReplyDeleteIt's a very lively, bustling, town. I think most of those houses are private homes, but there are a few shops intermingled.
DeleteJust up the road from me! As a long time family historian, I'm happy to undertake any family research for you. I'm at the records office in Chelmsford often 👍
ReplyDeleteThat's very kind. In fact my oldest son is our family historian and has been there several times to research and take photos. He used to live in Bishop's Stortford; reasonably nearby.
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DeleteIt does look pretty.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely old town, and apparently a very happy one too.
DeleteIt looks to be such a lovely town, full of history… and one in which I very nearly ended up when I was applying to teachers’ training colleges; the one in Saffron Walden was on my list of six. However, as I was accepted by my first choice, in Hertfordshire, I never had the pleasure of going to Saffron Walden.
ReplyDeleteI've not been there either. I suppose I should, but it's a long haul from here.
DeleteMy great grandfather was a shoemaker with a shop/business in Saffron Walton. Don’t know where though and it’s years and years since I visited.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a photo of our old family home on the outskirts of SW. I quite expect it's a Grade 2 listed building these days. It was a lovely old small farmhouse.
DeleteWhen you say your family were "small farmers", how tall were they? Were they like The Borrowers, hiding amidst the reeds of Wicken Fen?
ReplyDelete5ft 6 ins maximum. Some were even hoping to have walk-on parts in the new Snow White film.
DeleteMy younger sister lived in SW for 10 years when she was first married and her three children were born there. Her husband worked for BP and they moved to Aberdeen where they have lived ever since, and have been happy but she loved SW and would have happily stayed there. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteBy the sound of it, I think that everyone loves it. It's well positioned too. I think I'd prefer SW to Aberdeen.
DeleteInteresting history. It's good to know the family story. And hand that on down with the clock.
ReplyDeleteDo they still grow saffron there? I thought it was only grown in warmer countries, norther Greece, Turkey and Iran
I don't think the do. One of my neighbours in France tried growing it, but I believe the Mice ate all the bulbs.
DeleteKnowledge of family and what they did, for me, really starts in the early 1800's, the War of 1812, he was barely 20 years old when commissioned as a ship Captain. It would be fun to know what happened before then. I have the genealogy, but no explanations of what anyone did.
ReplyDeleteThere are very good web sites these days for finding ancestors. I'm sure you could go further back.
DeleteKemi B is their MP .
ReplyDeleteI like Kemi, she's a very bright lass!
DeleteSW looks like a wonderful place to live. Quiet villages with lots of historic homes/buildings seems ideal to me.
ReplyDeleteMuch better than living amongst high-rise apartment blocks. My sort of town.
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