With a population of just over fifteen thousand people, Saffron Walden is a medium-sized burg that is overshadowed by its close proximity to larger cities like Cambridge and London. While other cities in Essex may have more industry or a larger city square, Saffron Walden is without peer in one aspect: History. Yes, London is rife with history but London is far too large and overgrown to offer a glimpse of what it may have looked like in ages past. Saffron Walden, on the other hand, still maintains much of its rural appearance that it has had since its inception and the countless medieval buildings that still stand in the city further cement Saffron Walden as a historian's wet dream.
While many of Britain's oldest cities began with Roman occupation as the Roman Empire spread its thick claws all over Europe, Saffron Walden actually predates Rome and remnants from the Bronze and Iron Ages indicate that many well-knit tribes occupied Saffron Walden to great success. The Saffron Walden we all know and love, however, first began to show itself in the 1100s after Norman forces conquered the area. The incredible Walden Abbey was built around 1136 and a market town arose almost overnight. Saffron's market square was bolstered in the beginning of the Middle Ages by the burgeoning wool trade that would come to dominate many small towns around England at the time. Naturally, the popularity of the wool trade would simmer down after a time and after the 1700s many cities that depended on wool for the basis of their economy suffered greatly from the decline of wool prices. Fortunately, Saffron Walden had a trick up its sleeve: The Saffron Crocus. This rare plant was grown primarily in Saffron and it quickly became a much prized and treasured material for people all around the world. Some adored the flower because of its supposed medicinal qualities while others desired it for its aromatic capabilities; it was considered both a perfume and an aphrodisiac. The yellow dye made from the plant was also in high demand and was one of the more expensive dyes at the time. Like wool, however, Crocus demand was not meant to last and by the end of the 1700s Saffron Walden could not depend on the trade of the flower.
Fortunately, Saffron Walden was again at the forefront of a cultural and economical revolution during the 1800s. Malt and barley were the perfect replacement for the Saffron Crocus and by the 1830s the city was a full-fledged brewery town with over thirty establishments pumping out the good stuff daily. Saffron Walden continues to enjoy income from its beer trade but the city's true claim to fame is the sheer amount of history that can be seen within. Since no major wars or battles ever destroyed the city, the many factories, homes, and hotels that have been erected through the ages still stand and one can find castles, abbeys, and all manner of fascinating architecture wherever one turns. While this is quite remarkable, perhaps a more interesting aspect of Saffron Walden is the fact that the city has seemingly foreseen every possible disaster that could befall its economy and took action to embrace the newest and greatest burgeoning trade. Few other cities in the world have been as successful as Saffron Walden at predicting global economic fluctuations and that is far more fascinating than an old Abbey!
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