Saffron WaldenEssex

The largest turf maze in the world (the 17th century turf maze on the common), the medieval town centre (one of the finest in Essex), Audley End (one of England's greatest Jacobean mansions), and a small Essex market town of extraordinary completeness

Saffron Walden grew wealthy from the saffron crocus trade in the 15th-17th centuries, giving the town its name. The medieval town centre — with its pargeted buildings, the church and the common — is one of the finest in Essex. The turf maze on the common, cut in the 17th century, is the largest in the world. Audley End, a mile from the town, is one of the finest Jacobean mansions in England.

The turf maze is extraordinary — the world's largest, perfectly preserved. Audley End (English Heritage) is magnificent. The market on Tuesdays and Saturdays for local Essex produce. The pargeted buildings on the High Street.