Thaxted

Driving south from Saffron Walden further into Uttlesford via the Debden Road, we reach the town of Thaxted. There is a classic view of the town's church and windmill on this route.

Thaxted's status as a town is due to its prominent late medieval Guildhall on the main high street - during the Middle Ages, Thaxted prospered as a centre for the production of cutlery. There are many beautiful old houses here, as well as a large and fine English Perpendicular parish church dedicated to St John the Baptist with Our Lady and St Laurence; it is one of the largest in Essex. Just South of the church we see the Grade II listed five-storey tower mill, John Webb's Mill, which has been restored to working order and is open to the public at certain times.

On the cultural side, Thaxted is also known for its association with Gustav Holst, who lived here from 1917 to 1925, and for its link with Morris Dancing; in 1934, the year that Holst died, the Cambridge Morris Men invited five other teams (Letchworth, Thaxted, East Surrey, Greensleeves and Oxford) to join them in the formation of a national organisation - The Morris Ring - and there is a plaque on the house where this happened. The Thaxted Morris Weekend is a major event on the Morris Dancing calendar and many sides, or teams, visit here each year; it is also a major local tourist attraction.Read more