Saffron Walden passed through Saffron Walden in 2014. Saffron Walden has a well-established hockey club with its main pitch and clubhouse in Newport and a second pitch at Saffron Walden County High School. The club has eight men's teams, seven women's teams and a large junior section. The women play in Division 2, and the men play in Prem B. The town's skate park is an American-built facility. It opened in 2007. Saffron Walden is the name of a tune often associated with the hymn "Just as I am". It was written by Arthur Henry Brown (1830–1926) from Essex. He wrote many
Saffron Walden market place. This was demolished in 1847 to make way for a corn exchange. In the 16th–17th centuries the saffron crocus ("Crocus sativus") was widely grown, thanks to the town's favourable soil and climate. The flower was valuable, as the extract from the stigmas was used in medicines, as a condiment, in perfume, as an aphrodisiac, and as an expensive yellow dye. The industry gave Walden its name. The town and surrounding area, like much of East Anglia, was strongly Puritan during the 17th century. The population was influenced by the missionary John Eliot. By 1640, Samuel Bass's family and