My U3a bus pass group had an outing to Saffron Walden on Friday. Saffron Walden is a lovely picturesque market town with a history dating back to the Neolithic period. It is believed that a small Roman settlement and fort existed as an outpost of the much larger settlement to the north. The town was originally just called Walden, derived from the old English 'walhdenu' meaning 'valley of the Britons'. In the 16th and 17th centuries the saffron crocus was widely grown, thanks to the town's favourable soil and climate, and that industry gave Walden its present name - Saffron Walden.
At the heart of the town lies the historic Market Square, where markets have been held since 1141.
Opposite the square is the lovely old library building
with some nice bright open spaces
I love the sentiment but the grammar is very bad! It should read either "Time spent is never wasted" or "Times spent are never wasted" I was contemplating telling a member of staff, but didn't!
There are lots of lovely independent boutiques, shops, and cafés
and lots of charming cottages
the church is magnificent
The Fry Art Gallery is a lovely little building showcasing an impressive number of paintings, prints, illustrations, wallpapers and decorative designs by artists of the 20th century and the present day who have connections to the area.
I really wanted to get a photo of the whole wall but people kept getting in the way! This represented the cattle markets from years gone by.
this sculpture represents many of the artists in the collection
Beyond the gallery and this lovely house is a serene garden
We had a lovely day with sunshine.
oOo
I catch a bus into town from a neighbouring village. When I left that morning there was a Canada Goose at the pond flying around making a lot of noise. I wondered if he was protecting his mate from possible predators but didn't have time to investigate. When I returned I looked around and sure enough there was Mrs Goose on the little island sitting on her nest.
She has chosen well.
That white statue is in memory of Godfrey
who used to be the resident patriarch of the pond.
I hope it protects Mrs Goose and deters predators.
∼ Be safe and well∼
Polly x
Lovely account, thank you. But I would have been quite loud about the terrible grammar. If libraries aren't a center for literacy, what is the point? I did make my local library fix a notice on the front door, of all places! That library is lovely, very inviting.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had said something now!
DeleteLots of interesting things to see and do on that outing! And yes, I agree with you about that library sign. The verb should be "is," not "are."
ReplyDeleteThat is so bad for a library
DeleteI want to live where you do and do all the fun things you do and visit the places you see. I love the name of this one!
ReplyDeleteThat would be fun Jeanie 😊
DeletePolly, your group does go on always interesting places and if I lived there I would certainly be going along. What a wonderful place you visited and thanks for all the photos too. We have Canada Geese here as well, but I haven't seen any evidence of mating and usually we don't until the little goslings start appearing in the water.
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky with our group outings, our organiser does a lot of work sourcing where to go, and which buses to get us there! The Canada Geese are so beautiful. I think the villagers will be looking out for them.
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