History of saffron Gâtinais, Normandy, Périgord, Poitou, Provence, and Quercy. Its mysterious decline started during the 18th century, possibly due to pandemic fungal diseases destroying bulbs and crops, to particularly cold winters, and to competing market from the Mediterranean countries. In England, cultivation "persisted" only in the light, well-drained, and chalk-based soils of the north Essex countryside. The Essex town of Saffron Walden got its name as a saffron growing and trading centre; its name was originally Cheppinge Walden, and the culinary name change was effected to punctuate the importance of the crop to the townsfolk; the town's arms still feature blooms from
Saffron Green Meadows Saffron Green Meadows Saffron Green Meadows or Saffron Green Pasture is an area of public open space and farmland north of Arkley in Hertsmere, Hertfordshire, England. It is owned and managed by Hertfordshire County Council, and is part of the Watling Chase Community Forest and the London Green Belt. In the late 1990s, the area was identified as suitable for environmental management as it had been untenanted for several years, and as rough grazing pasture it was a rich and scarce ecological habitat which also had recreational potential. An archeological survey identified a pre-Roman landscape pattern, possibly dating back to