Saffron Walden Cestreforda to the north. After the Norman invasion of 1066, a stone church was built. Walden Castle, dating from about 1140, may have been built on pre-existing fortifications. A priory, Walden Abbey, was founded under the patronage of Geoffrey de Mandeville, first Earl of Essex about 1136, on the site of what is now Audley End village. The abbey was separated from Walden by Holywell Field. After the dissolution of the monasteries, Sir Thomas Audley converted its cloisters into a dwelling. Later this became the site of Audley End House. The market was moved from nearby Newport to Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden 1906 from a 16th-century barn, it was restored in 2004-5. With a long history of non-conformism, Saffron Walden has a Baptist church and a Quaker meeting house. There is a United Reformed Church on Abbey Lane, a Methodist church on Castle Street now occupied as the Community Church by the independent former Gold Street Chapel which was located in Gold Street. The town is administered by Saffron Walden Town Council which has 16 members. The majority party is Residents for Uttlesford (R4U), formed by local residents' groups. The main opposition is the Conservative Party. The Liberal Democrats and Labour are