St Mary the Virgin

The church is very large, one of the biggest in Essex, and was almost entirely rebuilt between 1450 and 1525.

It is especially noted for the size and grandeur of its nave and aisles, but the outside is dominated by the very tall tower and spire, which were designed in the 1830s by architect Thomas Rickman. He also who did much work at Cambridge, only a little distance away across the county boundary.

The Cambridge connection goes back to the nave, which was built by Simon Clark and John Wastell, master masons at King's College Chapel. Their work at Saffron Walden is outstanding: the nave is very tall and elegant with clerestory windows in pairs and blank panelling below them. At the top of the piers upon which these rest, the spandrels (triangular panels between the arch and its frame) are richly carved, and include saffron flowers, the crocus that gave the town its name, and its fame and fortune.

The wooden roofs of the nave and aisles are original and have bosses that include Tudor roses. The fine chancel screen dates from 1924.

The church's brasses have been moved from their original places onto the walls. The best monument is to Thomas, Lord Audley, who died in 1544. It is of black marble and a fine piece of work; 17th century historian Thomas Fuller wrote that the colour was no blacker than the soul of Audley himself.