0:00:02 > 0:00:06I've seen towns explode into cities,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09I've seen towns with their hearts ripped out.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Every town has its own tales of triumph
0:00:12 > 0:00:17and catastrophe - all of them face challenges.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Smaller than a city, more intimate,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24much greener - towns are where we first learned to be urban.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Harbour towns, market towns, island towns,
0:00:28 > 0:00:34industrial towns - collectively they bind our land together.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38As a geographer, I believe towns are communities of the future.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43This time I'm in Saffron Walden,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47a medieval market town tucked away in northwest Essex
0:00:47 > 0:00:49between London and Cambridge.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Quintessentially English and proud of its heritage,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Saffron Walden has never been sacked, never been burned
0:00:56 > 0:01:02and has some of the best-preserved examples of medieval architecture in the country.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05But this heritage is now under threat.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07In Saffron Walden,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10I'll be investigating a town at tipping point.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14I do have an objection to walking here and seeing a sign up
0:01:14 > 0:01:17that says thousands of new homes in Saffron Walden when it's not true.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22Council said a minimum of 860 but will not say what the maximum is.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26I'll be finding out what makes this commuter town different.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27Is that a misprint?
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Er...no.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30195 quid?
0:01:30 > 0:01:33- No. 495.- 495!
0:01:33 > 0:01:37And I'll see what gives Saffron Walden its unique name.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41This is the magic ingredient that we're after.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Three strands of saffron in every flower.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49Join me on a journey to discover the fascinating past,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53the challenging present, and the dynamic future of towns.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17I'm sitting in a Tiger Moth preparing for take-off.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19These first flew in the 1930s
0:02:19 > 0:02:22when Britons were forced to prepare for the sudden destruction
0:02:22 > 0:02:23of towns and cities from the air.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Over 4,000 of these basic training aircraft were built
0:02:29 > 0:02:31for the Royal Air Force.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Some 70 years ago, the skies above Saffron Walden
0:02:51 > 0:02:54would have been teeming with aircraft - taking off from bases
0:02:54 > 0:02:56nearby at Duxford and Debden.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00They were flown by the gallant pilots who helped to win
0:03:00 > 0:03:01the Battle of Britain.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Today, I'm giving this aeroplane a rather different mission.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14I'm using this open-air cockpit
0:03:14 > 0:03:18as a platform for some aerial reconnaissance.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20From up here at 2,000 feet,
0:03:20 > 0:03:25England's green and pleasant land unrolls like an exquisite carpet.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30This was the land of the East Saxons, East Seaxe,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33now known as Essex.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36There's not a hint that the giant metropolis, London,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39is only 50 miles away.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43And there, set in the patterned countryside,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47is the town of Saffron Walden, the jewel of Essex.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53We're right over Saffron Walden now and it's fascinating to see how
0:03:53 > 0:03:58well-defined the edge of town is,
0:03:58 > 0:04:04that boundary between town and country, rural and urban.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06There's no sprawl.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10It's neat, it's compact, set in its sea of green.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Roads radiate out of Saffron Walden,
0:04:15 > 0:04:20reaching across the farmland to outlying villages and hamlets.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22It's the web spun by a traditional market town.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29I can also see from here a couple of modern intrusions
0:04:29 > 0:04:31on this historic network.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33One's a railway.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36And the other's a motorway.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39But they both miss Saffron Walden. Just.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Now this historic town is on the frontline
0:04:47 > 0:04:49of a new battle of Britain.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52A conflict that pitches developers, landowners,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56councils and residents against each other.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Plans for major expansion are creating a home-grown battlefield,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04something that's happening all over the United Kingdom.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07This is a crisis facing the whole country.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11At the heart of it is the need to construct new homes.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16By 2030, our population will have topped 71 million.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19We'll have to house an additional population
0:05:19 > 0:05:22equivalent to eight cities the size of Birmingham.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29The question all over Britain is - where will these houses go?
0:05:29 > 0:05:34All too often, new houses consume open spaces and countryside.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Here in Saffron Walden, this is already happening.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41The building of 440 new homes has been approved
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and at least another 880 are being proposed.
0:05:45 > 0:05:51I want to find out if Saffron Walden can survive such rapid change.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Could the building of so many new homes destroy
0:05:54 > 0:05:56the appeal of this historic town?
0:06:03 > 0:06:06It's easy to see why people want to live here.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11The town has history, character and charm.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15At street level, there's evidence of the town's medieval market.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19Narrow alleys once thronged with traders.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23There are beautiful timber framed houses
0:06:23 > 0:06:25dating back to the 14th century...
0:06:25 > 0:06:27a Georgian town hall...
0:06:27 > 0:06:31and a market place adorned with confident Victorian architecture.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Walking these pavements today is like drifting back
0:06:37 > 0:06:40into a quaint urban dream - the medieval streets,
0:06:40 > 0:06:46the timbered houses, the steepled church, the sense of time suspended,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48of modernity on hold.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Visually, it's intoxicating, seductive.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56History, when it's this decorous, is incredibly alluring.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02For centuries, this corner of North West Essex
0:07:02 > 0:07:05has been a desirable place to live.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08It's not just that it's near London.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10A gentle range of chalk hills
0:07:10 > 0:07:13ripples through this part of the country
0:07:13 > 0:07:17bringing well-drained soils perfect for growing crops.
0:07:19 > 0:07:25The Saxons came here in the 700s and named it Waldena.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29But it was the Normans who put this inconspicuous settlement on the map.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33As usual, they started with a castle.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Work began in 1125.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42The castle was built by the de Mandeville family.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46They came over to England at the time of the Norman Conquest.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Geoffrey de Mandeville
0:07:48 > 0:07:50so distinguished himself with William the Conqueror,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55he was awarded 118 lordships, Walden being one of them.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00I'm in the basement of the castle keep.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04This stump is all that remains of a huge pillar that once rose up
0:08:04 > 0:08:07to a vaulted ceiling.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Like all good defensive fortifications,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12there was provision for food and water.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14You can see storage arches built into the wall.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16There was also a well.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Back in the 12th century, there were two floors above me.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Up there on the first floor, the great hall,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26you can see the outline of the enormous fireplace.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Above that, a second floor with the private chambers.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Today, this isn't the most spectacular of castle ruins
0:08:32 > 0:08:35in the UK, but these flint and mortar walls
0:08:35 > 0:08:39are the foundation stones of the town.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41This is where Walden was born.
0:08:44 > 0:08:50To expand any town you need trade, and that means a market.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55In 1141, the de Mandevilles pulled off a commercial blinder,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59securing a charter to close the market in Newport,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03a neighbouring settlement, and open a new one right next to the castle.
0:09:03 > 0:09:09In 12th-century Essex, this was quite a coup, and the fledgling town
0:09:09 > 0:09:13changed its name to Chipping Walden, Chipping meaning market.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21The new town had two distinctive earthwork defences.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25The first defence - called the inner bailey - surrounded the castle.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29As the town grew, a second defence was built - the outer bailey -
0:09:29 > 0:09:33and this surrounded the medieval church and the market as well.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34The earthworks are gone,
0:09:34 > 0:09:39but the streets near the castle and church follow the line they took.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42It was all very neat, self-contained.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Just 100 years after the foundation stones of the castle were laid,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Saffron Walden was a thriving market town
0:09:51 > 0:09:54and ripe for further development.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58This happened in a very unusual way.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Local historian Sara Kirkpatrick
0:10:03 > 0:10:07knows all about Chipping Walden's medieval expansion plans.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Why have you brought me to the middle of this housing estate?
0:10:11 > 0:10:15Well, we're going to be looking at this ditch, the great ditch.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18It's somewhere people walk their dogs every day
0:10:18 > 0:10:22and probably don't even notice or know that it is an incredibly
0:10:22 > 0:10:26important part of the development of the town of Saffron Walden.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27When were they built?
0:10:27 > 0:10:30They were built about 1230, we think.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33We've got only the remaining south-western part,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37but we have a map to show you.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40- Now that is beautiful. - Isn't it lovely?- Wow.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42When does the map date from?
0:10:42 > 0:10:46The map dates from 1758
0:10:46 > 0:10:50and is the first map that we have of the town.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54So this map was drawn roughly 500 years after the ditch was dug.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59Yes. About 500 years after the ditch and we are standing just about here.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01- Oh, right here?- Yes.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03"Battle Ditch." OK.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09The ditches ran all the way around the town across here, down here,
0:11:09 > 0:11:14up to here, which was the outer bailey of the castle,
0:11:14 > 0:11:20all the way here, so enclosing the whole town. Absolutely vast.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Who built the ditch?
0:11:21 > 0:11:27Well, we think it was Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30His mother had been the last of the de Mandevilles
0:11:30 > 0:11:36and so he inherited her land on her death in about 1236.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37Why did he build it?
0:11:37 > 0:11:42There had been a lot of problems with people poaching sheep
0:11:42 > 0:11:47and encroaching on land, so it may be a demarcation.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51The ditches also have a defensive element.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56There was a huge amount of civil unrest throughout the 13th century,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00which is perhaps why it got the nickname - or are known as -
0:12:00 > 0:12:04the battle ditches, even though a battle never actually happened here.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07But how about if we get down into the ditches?
0:12:07 > 0:12:10There's a good tree here we can hold onto.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14After you. What surprises me is - these are 800 years old.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18The depth is quite extraordinary even today.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22They're vast. About 500 feet long here.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Very, very deep...well, we're what? 20 feet down? So really you have to
0:12:27 > 0:12:32think of these all hand-cut, through the clay, though the chalk.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34There were no JCBs in those days!
0:12:34 > 0:12:37It was literally man - and probably woman power as well,
0:12:37 > 0:12:42so people all had to be organised to do it and the will had to be
0:12:42 > 0:12:48there to build this vast, vast ditch of which this is a tiny, tiny part.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Saffron Walden's Battle Ditches are very unusual.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58In medieval Essex, a few places were building
0:12:58 > 0:13:03boundaries around themselves - but nothing on this scale.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06The Battle Ditches of Saffron Walden gave the town
0:13:06 > 0:13:10an extraordinarily well-defined physical presence on the landscape.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12It wasn't until the 19th century
0:13:12 > 0:13:15that the town finally grew beyond the Battle Ditches,
0:13:15 > 0:13:21so for 700 years the urban fabric of the town, its shops, its streets,
0:13:21 > 0:13:26its houses, were confined in an area set out in the 13th century.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32As Chipping Walden's wealth grew, the town grew, too.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Like a medieval gated community,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39it remained within the confines of the Battle Ditches.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44Some of the wealth came from the wool trade but, by the 16th century,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48a major money-spinner was something far more exotic - saffron.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55Saffron comes from the crocus flower - not any type of crocus,
0:13:55 > 0:14:01but Crocus sativus, which thrived on the well-drained chalk hills.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Saffron was used in dyeing,
0:14:03 > 0:14:08cooking and medicine - some even believed it cured the plague.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12For over 200 years, the saffron trade flourished,
0:14:12 > 0:14:17and the town pays homage to its importance in all sorts of ways...
0:14:17 > 0:14:18but most of all,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22by changing its name from Chipping to Saffron Walden.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Alas for Essex, the saffron market withered.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Crocus fields that had once been,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34"Looking merrily with most lovely saffron,"
0:14:34 > 0:14:37as one Elizabethan visitor put it, ceased to be cultivated.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40By the early 18th century,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43quacks and physicians had turned to other medicines, and what
0:14:43 > 0:14:47remained of the market was flooded with cheap imports from Spain.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53But now, there's good news for foodies in search of home-grown saffron.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58The crocus is back in town. Saffron farming is returning to Essex.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04The man leading this horticultural revival is David Smale.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06He makes a living as a geophysicist,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09but his real passion is growing saffron.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15- Wow!- And here they are. - Look at that.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Amazing.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19- Aren't they beautiful? - They're a beautiful colour.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Absolutely stunning. So which part of the flower is the saffron?
0:15:22 > 0:15:27The saffron are the three red stigmas in the flower.
0:15:27 > 0:15:28Tendrils.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Yeah. In medieval-speak, they're called chives.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36They're actually the stigmas of the flower and they hang out of the flower - unusual for a crocus.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37So that's the saffron?
0:15:37 > 0:15:42That is the saffron. Three strands of saffron in every flower.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46- So for a saffron farmer, this is what matters.- Absolutely.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- Do they have a smell? - They have a lovely smell.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Wow. It's quite strong, isn't it?
0:15:51 > 0:15:54- That would have been a smell familiar to people living around here.- Round here.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Walking down the street here, generally, the whole town would have been awash with purple
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and the scent must have been absolutely incredible.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03- Literally intoxicating. - Yeah, literally.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Saffron is a narcotic if taken in large quantities.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10As Shakespeare said, "As happy as a man in a bag of saffron".
0:16:10 > 0:16:12How difficult is saffron to grow?
0:16:12 > 0:16:14There's tricks of the trade.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16How did you learn how to do it?
0:16:16 > 0:16:19For a few years, trial and error.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21First year, I got point-eight of a gram.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- It was a very tiny little bag of saffron.- That's not a big harvest.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28No. Then, after two or three years, I was in Saffron Walden library
0:16:28 > 0:16:31and down, buried deep in the archives in some musty old drawer
0:16:31 > 0:16:35was a box file called Crocus sativus -
0:16:35 > 0:16:38which is the technical name for the crocus - scrawled on it,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and that was it. It was just full of bits of paper
0:16:41 > 0:16:45and stuff like that. And in there, I found a medieval manuscript.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- You're making this up. - Well, not medieval - about 1700.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50- Sounds fantastic.- It was, yeah.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52The funny thing is, what I was doing was pretty much exactly
0:16:52 > 0:16:55- the same as that.- You got it right. - Thank goodness.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Is it a trade secret or can you tell me how much you are producing every year?
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Getting towards 200-plus grams at the moment.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- 200 grams a year?- Which doesn't sound a lot, but it is, believe me!
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Roughly how many have you got in there?
0:17:07 > 0:17:12That'll be point-two of a gram which is about 30 to 40 flowers' worth.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17- And how much would I have pay for that in a shop? - That'd be about £15, retail price.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21But it's...sounds a lot but it goes a hell of a long way.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26Today, Essex-grown saffron is a niche market, but in the boom years,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30this spice brought huge wealth to Saffron Walden
0:17:30 > 0:17:34and money brought growth and new houses.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38The town is a showcase of medieval architecture
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and there's one building that really stands out.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48This is 1 Myddylton Place.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Grade 1 listed, it's one of the oldest houses in town.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54It was built by William Myddylton,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58a wealthy merchant who wanted his home to reflect his success.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03For his dream house,
0:18:03 > 0:18:08Myddylton used the very best building material - oak.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11The bigger the beam, the bigger the room you could construct
0:18:11 > 0:18:14and this building was meant to impress.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16But size wasn't the only thing that mattered here.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19This joint up here between the joists and the spine beam -
0:18:19 > 0:18:22and there are lots of these joints in the room -
0:18:22 > 0:18:25are known as half-lap haunched tenon joints.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29They'd only just made their appearance in England. They were kind of state of the art.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31They give the building great structural integrity -
0:18:31 > 0:18:32they support the floor above
0:18:32 > 0:18:35and they pull the two walls together, binding them tight,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39which is why this building has stayed upright for so long.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42After this building was constructed,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45the same joints appeared in King's College, Cambridge nearby,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48but you saw them first here in Saffron Walden.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55Myddylton House is not the only place in town with star quality.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Many of the timber-framed buildings are finished in plaster
0:18:59 > 0:19:02and adorned with patterns and 3D murals.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07This decorative style is peculiar to Essex
0:19:07 > 0:19:08and rustic parts of East Anglia.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15It's very distinctive and it's not only found on medieval buildings
0:19:15 > 0:19:17but on modern buildings, too.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Welcome to the world of pargeting.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Parts of the Sun Inn date back to the 14th century.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34It's thought that Oliver Cromwell stayed here during the English Civil War.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38The Inn has some incredible examples of pargeting.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43But it is most famous for these two figures dominating a gable end.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48Legend has it the figure on the left is Tom Hickathrift, a local carter
0:19:48 > 0:19:52who saved the people of Wisbech by killing the giant on the right
0:19:52 > 0:19:55with the axle of his cart.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Quite a story for the outside of an inn.
0:19:58 > 0:20:05Pargeting could be a way of showing off, of spending conspicuously.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09In cities, buildings might be embellished with ornamentation
0:20:09 > 0:20:12in brick or fancy carving in stone.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15But in an Essex market town,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17with brick and stone hard to come by, you flaunted your wealth,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21you created a presence on your street by using plaster,
0:20:21 > 0:20:26decorating the public face of your house or your shop or your inn with
0:20:26 > 0:20:30patterns or with pictures or with characters from local fables.
0:20:30 > 0:20:37Pargeting turned Saffron Walden into an open-air gallery of folk art.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49One of the most accomplished pargeters in the land is Bill Sargent.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53He's kindly offered to show me the tricks of the pargeting trade.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56First off, we make the mixture known as parge.
0:20:56 > 0:21:03It contains sand, lime and a third - more unusual - ingredient.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Is that natural hair?
0:21:05 > 0:21:08That's natural hair. This is...we buy in bundles like this.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11- It's goat hair.- What's the hair doing to the mixture?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13It just gives it a fibre. Locks it in.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Most of our work is on timber-framed buildings and timber framing moves,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20so you imagine - all that hair is enmeshed in the mix
0:21:20 > 0:21:24and it moves with the building without cracking and coming away.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25You have a go at that.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28So is the length really, really important?
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- About like that, about a centimetre? - Yeah, that's about...that is easy as long as you want it.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34- Tough old stuff, isn't it?- It is.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36A bit of hair teasing.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Little bit at a time. So it filters through, yeah.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42I mean, they didn't have cement, electric mixers back in the 1700s.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Nah. They would have built a trough, put the sand and the lime together,
0:21:46 > 0:21:51munched it down - probably with their feet with big boots on -
0:21:51 > 0:21:55and worked it round and round, then just put the hair in
0:21:55 > 0:22:00and then just keep working it over and over. Lovely.
0:22:00 > 0:22:07OK, Nick. So we'll bring this stuff down. We'll get the base coat on.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I'm already learning that pargeting is about patience,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13trusting practices that have worked for generations.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15How much do you want on there?
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Three or four of them.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21So how long have you got until this goes off?
0:22:21 > 0:22:25I would say in this weather, that little bit of pointing, probably a couple of hours.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28And this layer you're putting up here -
0:22:28 > 0:22:30is this the background for the design?
0:22:30 > 0:22:33This is the background, yeah.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36So this is like preparing a canvas, an artist preparing a canvas.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Exactly the same thing. Exactly the same thing.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Have you decided yet what you are going to do up here
0:22:42 > 0:22:45- or are you going to make it up as you go along?- Make it up as I go along. Always do.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Is that part of the fun for you, that you're...
0:22:47 > 0:22:52you're neither a tradesman nor an artist, you're both?
0:22:52 > 0:22:56We certainly don't think of ourselves as artists. We just think of ourselves as plasterers.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01- Plasterers. - Yeah. Arty plasterers if you like.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04OK. Right, I'll just take my jacket off, Nick.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07It's beginning to warm up now and then we'll do some pargeting.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Stripping for action.
0:23:09 > 0:23:10Ready for action.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14- Right.- OK. Water brushes.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19I'll give you one of these, Nick. This is what I use all the time.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22A teaspoon and that trowel. Nearly on everything I do,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24it's a teaspoon and that trowel!
0:23:24 > 0:23:25THEY LAUGH
0:23:25 > 0:23:28You don't really have to spend a lot of money on tools if you're a pargeter!
0:23:28 > 0:23:32This tool is the flute. I'll just show you how this works.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35You just push in and follow your line along.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39How important is it, Bill, to keep that rustic feel to pargeting?
0:23:39 > 0:23:43I think it's very important. It doesn't want to look too formal.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45It wants to look handmade. Hand modelled.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49You know, so ups and downs - you know, that's fine.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51So that's the fluting done, Nick.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54And we start to...
0:23:54 > 0:23:58- Now it's the difficult bit. - Now we draw a design here.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03I'll just draw something out, see if you can see what I'm doing.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05- Oh, right. A running hare. - Yeah, so...
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- Wonderful.- Start off with a running hare.- Love that.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13And then his back legs will then turn into...a vine.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15What have you got at the end there?
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Well, I haven't got anything yet but I thinking I'll probably put
0:24:18 > 0:24:20something like a little bird singing in there as we go along.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23So you've got a running hare and a singing bird. That's lovely.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28Wonderful, wonderful.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Then here we've got a thrush.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38There you go, then, Nick.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42It's just a matter of get some stuff in your hand,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44and roll some on.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- Shall I go up here?- Yeah.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Is pargeting popular these days, still?
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Very popular. I would say my workload has doubled.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01And what are your signatures, what are your little tricks that you leave? Your trademark?
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Er, people know my work
0:25:05 > 0:25:09by looking at it because of this flowiness that I do.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14But I don't leave a little mouse or anything like that as a trademark.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16In fact, I'm happier if I go away
0:25:16 > 0:25:19and people think that what I've done is original.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21If they look at it a year later and think,
0:25:21 > 0:25:26"That looks three or four hundred year old, must be," then I'm happy.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27Finished.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33You can put a card in a post office window now!
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- I don't think so!- It's perfect.
0:25:35 > 0:25:41One of the reasons pargeting took off around here can be found below ground.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45With little quality stone around, craftsmen had to innovate.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Timber-framed buildings were both protected
0:25:48 > 0:25:50and decorated with plaster.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53But when they wanted to build something special,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55they sought out stone.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Like Beachy Head and the White Cliffs of Dover,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03the hills surrounding Saffron Walden are composed of chalk.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06Chalk is a crumbly limestone
0:26:06 > 0:26:11and was formed 80 million years ago at the time of the dinosaurs.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16Buried within the chalk is one possible building material - flint.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Thousands of years ago,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21flint was the stone of choice for weapons and tools,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23but here in Saffron Walden,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27it's been used right in the heart of the town at St Mary's Parish Church.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32This is what flint looks like when it comes out of the ground.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Rounded, weirdly irregular nuggets.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40It's incredibly hard and very brittle.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44A more inconvenient building stone is almost impossible to imagine.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Here it is, built into a wall - you can see nodules of flint sticking out,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51held together by vast amounts of mortar.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53But down here. it's a different story.
0:26:54 > 0:27:00Here, the flint has been fractured or napped by a skilled stonemason.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03The blocks fit together so neatly that the mortar between them
0:27:03 > 0:27:05is almost invisible.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07The flints that went into this church
0:27:07 > 0:27:09came from the hills around Saffron Walden.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12It was the only available building stone.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Yet the craftsman who worked these flints managed to raise
0:27:15 > 0:27:20the finest and the largest parish church in Essex.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24St Mary's is a master class in resourcefulness.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Nearly every external wall contains flint,
0:27:30 > 0:27:35but the foundations of the present church, laid in 1430, are quarried
0:27:35 > 0:27:40from Lincolnshire limestone from the Rutland area, 70 miles away.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44It's the same type of stone used in the construction of colleges
0:27:44 > 0:27:45at Cambridge University
0:27:45 > 0:27:49and hints at the backing of some wealthy benefactors.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54Inside the church, the soaring perpendicular style echoes
0:27:54 > 0:27:57the look of another East Anglian building - Ely Cathedral.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01And there's more evidence of local geology.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13These impressive pillars are cut from a stone known as clunch.
0:28:13 > 0:28:19It's a hard variety of chalk, which is just as well, given the load bearing down on them,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22and yet it's soft enough that miscreants through the ages
0:28:22 > 0:28:26have been able to gouge their initials into its surface.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Professional stone carvers found clunch irresistible, too,
0:28:30 > 0:28:34tempting them to try wonderfully elaborate designs.
0:28:34 > 0:28:40The nave is decorated with exquisite carvings - and the crocus patterns
0:28:40 > 0:28:45in the leaded glass hint at the importance of saffron in the town.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49It's hard to believe that the church became so dilapidated in 1790
0:28:49 > 0:28:52that it was temporarily closed.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57And the town, too, has been subject to the winds of change.
0:28:57 > 0:29:03Saffron came and went from Saffron Walden. So did wool.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06But if you peer through the windows of any town,
0:29:06 > 0:29:11you're likely to see individuals, visionaries and very often families
0:29:11 > 0:29:16who provide a longer-term resilience to the buffeting of history.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20In the 12th century, it was the de Mandeville family
0:29:20 > 0:29:22who left their mark on this town.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24In the 13th century, it was the de Bohuns.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28In the 15th century, it was the turn of a new dynasty,
0:29:28 > 0:29:32a dynasty started by a man called Audley.
0:29:39 > 0:29:45Of all the buildings around Saffron Walden, Audley End House is the most grand.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49Named after Henry VIII's chancellor, Thomas Audley,
0:29:49 > 0:29:53work started here in 1605.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56The mansion has gone through generations of titled families
0:29:56 > 0:30:00until passing to the Braybrookes in the 18th century.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04Today, the house is in the hands of English Heritage,
0:30:04 > 0:30:09but descendants of the Braybrookes continue to run the estate.
0:30:09 > 0:30:126,000 acres of their land surround the town,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15a buffer against development.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19The current Lord Braybrooke's eldest daughter, Amanda Murray,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21not only oversees the estate
0:30:21 > 0:30:26but is keeper of her father's pride and joy - a miniature railway.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30What made your father build a miniature railway on the estate?
0:30:30 > 0:30:35My father realised that because the house has been open to the public
0:30:35 > 0:30:38that he could indulge his passion for steam
0:30:38 > 0:30:42and manage to make a commercial enterprise.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45So was it a bit like a train set? I had a train set when I was a boy.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47You collect carriages and you collect locomotives...
0:30:47 > 0:30:51A grown-up boy's train set is exactly what it was.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57Aristocratic indulgences like this are part of British culture.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04But here, the Braybrookes have an altogether more important role,
0:31:04 > 0:31:09one that underpins the town of Saffron Walden and protects the countryside around it.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13Looking back over the last two or three generations of Braybrookes -
0:31:13 > 0:31:15your father and grandfather -
0:31:15 > 0:31:18what was the relationship between them and the town?
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Um, they have a huge affinity with the town.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26They've given land for schools and they donated the Common to the town
0:31:26 > 0:31:31and to this day, wherever they can help, they do help.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34I've always considered Saffron Walden and Audley End
0:31:34 > 0:31:37to be almost part of the same thing, really,
0:31:37 > 0:31:39because they are so close to each other
0:31:39 > 0:31:42and there's so much integration between the two.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45Your grandfather put so many years of his life into the estate,
0:31:45 > 0:31:47so has your father and you, too.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49What's going to happen in the future?
0:31:49 > 0:31:54Sadly I'm one of eight girls and I'm the eldest, and if I was a boy,
0:31:54 > 0:31:58I would inherit the whole place, lock, stock and barrel but I'm not.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06With Amanda not inheriting the estate, the future is uncertain.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Like her ancestors,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11she takes her responsibility to the town seriously -
0:32:11 > 0:32:14it's a relationship that goes back centuries.
0:32:17 > 0:32:23Audley End and Saffron Walden - a house and a town entwined by history
0:32:23 > 0:32:27and by one of the oldest traditions in the land,
0:32:27 > 0:32:34a mutual respect for the local landscape, both town and country.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38The Braybrooke estate surrounds much of Saffron Walden.
0:32:38 > 0:32:43It forms a kind of ancestral green belt around the town.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45What happens here,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48who eventually inherits this estate, really matters to Saffron Walden.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57The landowning aristocracy at Audley End have managed
0:32:57 > 0:33:01the countryside around Saffron Walden for generations.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06But there's another family that's had a profound effect on the town,
0:33:06 > 0:33:10a family with a very different heritage. They were Quakers.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17These are the simple graves of the Gibson family.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20They were major benefactors to the town,
0:33:20 > 0:33:23founding schools, a hospital and a museum.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26The Gibsons were 18th-century nouveau riche,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30making their fortune in brewing before moving into banking.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36They founded the Saffron Walden and North Essex Bank,
0:33:36 > 0:33:40later known as Gibson, Tuke & Gibson, a family-run bank
0:33:40 > 0:33:44established in this grand building here on the market place.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46Gibson, Tuke & Gibson
0:33:46 > 0:33:50isn't a name you would recognise on the modern high street,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53but over 100 years ago, it was one of 20 private banks
0:33:53 > 0:33:57united under the banner - Barclays and Company Limited.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03The Gibsons wanted to shake things up.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05They knew Saffron Walden would be a backwater
0:34:05 > 0:34:08if it didn't embrace the railway.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12They waged a campaign that paid off and, in 1845,
0:34:12 > 0:34:18a main-line station opened - albeit two miles from town.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21At last, Saffron Walden was within easy reach of London.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28I'm starting to get the sense that, before the railway,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31Saffron Walden existed in a bubble,
0:34:31 > 0:34:33a place of ancient market-town rhythms
0:34:33 > 0:34:36with livestock wandering the streets each week,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40stalls and shops piled high with local produce -
0:34:40 > 0:34:43surprising, perhaps, just 50 miles from London.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48But when the rail corridor to the capital opened, that bubble burst.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Not only did people from Saffron Walden start looking to London
0:34:52 > 0:34:56as a place for work, but people in London
0:34:56 > 0:34:59started looking to Saffron Walden as a place to live.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02This trend has fuelled Saffron Walden's
0:35:02 > 0:35:07transformation from market town to commuter town.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Cars have replaced cattle,
0:35:09 > 0:35:11winding their way through the narrow medieval streets.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19For London-bound locals, this is their destination -
0:35:19 > 0:35:23a station car park with over 600 spaces.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27And on the station platform there's a sign,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29"Audley End for Saffron Walden" -
0:35:29 > 0:35:35as if to remind everyone that the town is just two miles down the road.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37The station manager is Alan Neville.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41Train just coming in now, Alan. Where is this one from?
0:35:41 > 0:35:44This is coming in from London Liverpool Street. It's very full.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47What kind of numbers are we talking about coming up the line here to Audley End?
0:35:47 > 0:35:53Well, we're talking about commuter footfall each day of approximately 1,100.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56- That sounds like quite a lot. - Yes. It's a very, very busy station.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59How long does the commuter journey from here to London take?
0:35:59 > 0:36:02The train now takes a very fast 51 minutes.
0:36:02 > 0:36:07This is a schedule which was improved last December when we introduced the new timetable.
0:36:07 > 0:36:12Surely by putting on more and more efficient train services and more OF them,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15you're just encouraging more and more commuters to come up the line to Saffron Walden.
0:36:15 > 0:36:20You're part of the reason the town is so popular, part of the reason they're building more houses there.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25Well, it is, and we don't want Saffron Walden to ever get spoilt by these new houses
0:36:25 > 0:36:32but on the other hand there's a great desire to live in a beautiful location like Saffron Walden.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36Would you describe Saffron Walden as a market town or a commuter town?
0:36:36 > 0:36:39I think it's a bit of both. It's a very important market town,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42but with a very, very important commuter element.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46At the end of a working day, these commuters can be home in an hour,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48with time to call by the newsagents.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52- Hello, there.- Hi there, Nick.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54- Very nice to meet you. - Yeah, nice to meet you.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58Jay Aggarwal has been running the shop for 13 years.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01He doesn't just sell newspapers and coffee,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05he also caters for some rather special tastes.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08Things change around a little bit for the evening.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12Customers come in after a hard day's work, grab a bottle of wine from us.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15What sort of wines are you stocking?
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Well, we've got quite a large selection of all our reds,
0:37:18 > 0:37:23we've also got some bottles of some fine wine here as well,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27um, which are...obviously, we've got some nice St Emilion Grand Cru.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- How much is that?- That one there is £90 a bottle.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32- £90?- Oh, yes. Yes.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Right. Is that a misprint?
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Er, no. That is the right price there, Nick.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40- 195 quid?- No, 495.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43495?!
0:37:43 > 0:37:47Nobody's going to drop by and spend 500 quid on a bottle of wine.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49You'd be surprised.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52How often would you sell a bottle from one of these boxes?
0:37:52 > 0:37:56We'd probably sell at least two or three bottles a week.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Right. Pretty unusual, this place.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01I live next to a London tube station
0:38:01 > 0:38:04and you couldn't sell a 500 quid bottle of wine there.
0:38:04 > 0:38:09Well, um, yeah, I mean, over the years when we first started selling wines, um,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12we obviously went to normal cash-and-carry and stocked up
0:38:12 > 0:38:16on the usual plonk which you can normally get for...three bottles for a tenner.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19And obviously we started to realise then,
0:38:19 > 0:38:21after having the wines inside the shop,
0:38:21 > 0:38:25that the customers of Saffron Walden wanted a bit more, er,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27different class of wine.
0:38:27 > 0:38:28How's it changed in 13 years?
0:38:28 > 0:38:32It was...always been a commuter station. But the numbers were very small.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35So a lot of people who do live here mainly commute,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39not just Monday to Friday, but they commute weekends as well
0:38:39 > 0:38:41and it's just got more and more busier.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46It's not every station that has a premier cru newsagent,
0:38:46 > 0:38:50and I'm starting to wonder what that means for Saffron Walden.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54If part of the community spends its working day far away
0:38:54 > 0:38:57from Saffron Walden, do all those people who stream
0:38:57 > 0:39:02through the station every week care less about the town?
0:39:03 > 0:39:08The fact is, Saffron Walden is a commuters' dream.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12Isolated enough from the cities and towns of the South East
0:39:12 > 0:39:18to feel like a rustic market town surrounded by rolling countryside,
0:39:18 > 0:39:24close enough to London to benefit from big city jobs and salaries.
0:39:24 > 0:39:31But the town's appeal to Londoners puts pressure on local housing.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34One man with an insight into the property market
0:39:34 > 0:39:37is estate agent David Emerson.
0:39:37 > 0:39:42In a nutshell, why is Saffron Walden so popular?
0:39:42 > 0:39:46Good commute to London, excellent schooling, history,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49nice people, good area to live in.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Can you give me the price bracket of buying into the town?
0:39:52 > 0:39:58If someone is looking at a price band, shall we say between 500 to 700,000,
0:39:58 > 0:40:02there's quite a good selection of properties in this town to choose from,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04especially for the family buyer.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07What proportion of people moving here come from London?
0:40:07 > 0:40:10We've looked at that over the last year, 18 months.
0:40:10 > 0:40:16I would say generally 50% of the people registering with us are
0:40:16 > 0:40:21coming up from London in all price ranges, cross sections of people.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Do you think Saffron Walden should grow bigger?
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Now that's a good question.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30Personally, no. I don't want to see enormous housing estates,
0:40:30 > 0:40:32especially in a town like Saffron Walden.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35I think in certain areas where we have new towns,
0:40:35 > 0:40:37then we've got to do it to a point.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39But I think it would spoil the feeling of this town
0:40:39 > 0:40:42because it is such a unique town in its own way.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45Very popular, lots of history.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47I think if we had vast amounts of housing,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50it wouldn't be the best thing for the town at all.
0:40:50 > 0:40:51It would be a shame.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55It would spoil the town's feeling that we've got at the moment.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Pineapple, a pound - come on!
0:40:59 > 0:41:03Two baskets for £3, £4.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06It's market day.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09For some, it's a chance to go shopping.
0:41:09 > 0:41:15For others, it's an opportunity to spread the word about plans for new homes.
0:41:15 > 0:41:21440 houses have been approved, with at least another 880 on the cards.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27These plans have been drawn up by Uttlesford District Council
0:41:27 > 0:41:30in response to government-imposed targets.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34Nationally, there's concern that Britain is under-built,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37that there's a severe housing shortfall.
0:41:37 > 0:41:42Saffron Walden is one of many towns in the South East earmarked for expansion.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46But it's controversial.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50Local campaigners believe this will threaten their way of life and,
0:41:50 > 0:41:52if all 1,300 homes are built,
0:41:52 > 0:41:55there will be no way back for Saffron Walden.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02Action group We Are Residents have made a giant map of the town.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06Dozens of mini houses show the scale of the plans.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10Dan Starr leads the campaign.
0:42:10 > 0:42:15The proposals would see about a minimum of 860 houses
0:42:15 > 0:42:19on the east of the town and our town has all of the roads,
0:42:19 > 0:42:22motorways, jobs, schools on the west of the town,
0:42:22 > 0:42:27so you basically would be needing to move 2,000 cars a day through roads
0:42:27 > 0:42:32which are really cow tracks that have been paved-over over the last thousand years.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35But some are not convinced by the protest.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39I don't have a problem with you objecting and I totally get what you are saying about the transport
0:42:39 > 0:42:43and all the other things, they're all issues that we have a worry about,
0:42:43 > 0:42:47but I do have an objection to walk in here and seeing a sign up
0:42:47 > 0:42:51that says thousands of new homes in Saffron Walden, when it's not true.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54No-one is suggesting thousands of homes.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57Council says a minimum of 860, but will not say what the maximum is.
0:42:57 > 0:43:03- We're not...we're not at that point yet.- So I understand, but you know how developers work.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Developers will put a minimum number of houses in there and then they'll come back and they'll up it later.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13Saffron Walden has a long record of expansion.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15The Battle Ditches are proof of that.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18But this latest surge of building would be
0:43:18 > 0:43:21the largest in the town's 900-year history.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25An estate on the east of town
0:43:25 > 0:43:28would mean more cars driving through ancient streets
0:43:28 > 0:43:31to reach the railway station and motorway.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34Saffron Walden sits in a natural bowl.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39In several places, pollution levels already exceed EU limits.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45But traffic is only one element of what is a complex debate,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48and it's provoking strong opinions.
0:43:48 > 0:43:53I do have a business here. I'm also a member of Uttlesford District Council.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57So my portfolio is social housing and council housing and everything
0:43:57 > 0:44:00and I have 1,200 families on the waiting list across the district
0:44:00 > 0:44:06and if we don't have any development, there will be no affordable housing.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09I think there's definitely a need for affordable housing,
0:44:09 > 0:44:10that needs to be looked at,
0:44:10 > 0:44:14but the proposal that's being presented to us for our town
0:44:14 > 0:44:17is not one that is sustainable or is good for the town.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21I think it's a big issue because I think if it gets approval
0:44:21 > 0:44:26and gets built, I think the problems will just develop and over the years
0:44:26 > 0:44:30people will realise what we had here and what we have here now
0:44:30 > 0:44:33was something quite special and something that's worth preserving.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37Once it's gone it's gone, you can't...roll back development.
0:44:37 > 0:44:42Objections to the plan don't just come from concerned residents.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46I am a town councillor, also a district councillor
0:44:46 > 0:44:49and I am the mayor of Saffron Walden for this year.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52So my interest is basically, does this town want that
0:44:52 > 0:44:58number of houses to be put in this town? And my answer to that is no.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01I think there is a huge disconnect between the residents and the council.
0:45:01 > 0:45:06In the public consultation that the council recently ran on this plan,
0:45:06 > 0:45:09one of the questions they asked was do you support our new strategy,
0:45:09 > 0:45:13which is to spread houses into existing towns and settlements
0:45:13 > 0:45:16including Saffron Walden? And 99% of respondents
0:45:16 > 0:45:21which was over 3,000 to that particular question said, "No, we don't like it."
0:45:21 > 0:45:25However, the council seem intent on steaming ahead and not modifying the plan.
0:45:25 > 0:45:29I've arranged to meet Jim Ketteridge, leader of the local district council,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31to find out why they're proposing
0:45:31 > 0:45:35such a radical increase in the number of homes here.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39How important is it for the council to win the hearts
0:45:39 > 0:45:45of the existing residents of Saffron Walden before this plan goes ahead?
0:45:45 > 0:45:48Well, very much. You always hope to.
0:45:48 > 0:45:53One always hopes to do that, particularly as a local councillor.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57You want to do things that the populace want.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00And in the last planning document, how many houses were...
0:46:00 > 0:46:04- if you like, pencilled-in for Saffron Walden?- 880.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08And over what period would those 880 houses be built?
0:46:08 > 0:46:11They're not going to be built in two years, or even five years.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14They're going to be built over a period of time
0:46:14 > 0:46:17and, as I say, the town has seen that level of growth in the past.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21Do you have any sympathy at all with residents
0:46:21 > 0:46:25who are very anxious about the scale of this expansion?
0:46:25 > 0:46:31Of course. I understand that they would like to keep Saffron Walden as it is, if you like,
0:46:31 > 0:46:34without any growth.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38The reality is that whatever the LEVEL of growth, growth will occur.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41But we are not alone in that.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45Towns and even cities around this part of the country are all
0:46:45 > 0:46:50faced with that same issue - where do they put their new housing,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53how much housing are they going to provide?
0:46:53 > 0:46:57Everybody is faced with that dilemma of producing a plan,
0:46:57 > 0:47:01which will at the end of the day satisfy the Government.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17This is the front line of growth.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21This rolling field in Essex could be anywhere in the country.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25A playing field, a farmer's field, a garden or a wood.
0:47:25 > 0:47:30These are the green spaces under threat from the need to house our growing population.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37Our countryside shrinks a bit every year, but look abroad
0:47:37 > 0:47:39and you realise it could be worse.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44That comes down to one thing -
0:47:44 > 0:47:49our landscapes have been protected by a fundamental planning principle
0:47:49 > 0:47:53that is branded on our national psyche, that the long term use
0:47:53 > 0:47:57of the land should take precedence over an owner's right to profit.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03That's what ensures we have a green and pleasant land.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08The question is, for how much longer can that planning principle survive?
0:48:11 > 0:48:13Anxiety is in the air.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16There's a real fear that Saffron Walden is approaching
0:48:16 > 0:48:20a tipping point, that the addition of so many new houses is going
0:48:20 > 0:48:22to push the town over the edge,
0:48:22 > 0:48:27create stresses and imbalances that diminish the town's identity,
0:48:27 > 0:48:30its sense of being a single community.
0:48:30 > 0:48:37Over 800 of the houses are destined to cover this gentle Essex hill.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40We have to have somewhere to live affordably,
0:48:40 > 0:48:42but nobody wants to see a town divided
0:48:42 > 0:48:45or the countryside destroyed.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48Once that happens, there's no going back.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Whether or not this plan succeeds,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55the building of new homes is going to happen.
0:48:55 > 0:49:00Demand is acute in the South East where 40,000 new households
0:49:00 > 0:49:03will form every year for the next 20 years.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09There are no easy answers.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13This needs a long-term strategy that's responsible and sustainable.
0:49:16 > 0:49:17In Saffron Walden,
0:49:17 > 0:49:21the building of new homes is getting support from an unexpected quarter.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29This is the One Minet Skate Park, one of the best places in Europe
0:49:29 > 0:49:33to work on your boarding, BMX or rollerblading skills.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42The money to build the park - around £300,000 - was raised
0:49:42 > 0:49:45and one of the best design teams in the world
0:49:45 > 0:49:50came over from America to make it a reality.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54The park is right next to the site where the new houses are planned.
0:49:54 > 0:49:59The developer is offering to fund an extension to the park and a community hub.
0:49:59 > 0:50:04Daisy Tyszkiewicz and Toby Martin are regulars here.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06How often do you come down here?
0:50:06 > 0:50:08- Every day.- Every day?
0:50:08 > 0:50:13Yeah, yeah. Go to work, come here, or before work, come here.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Relax a bit, have a skate. Meet my friends.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19What do you think about this idea of making Saffron Walden bigger,
0:50:19 > 0:50:23extending the town over the green-field site next door and extending the park and everything?
0:50:23 > 0:50:27I don't like the thought of too many houses being here
0:50:27 > 0:50:31but the fact that we'll be extending the skate park means a great deal.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34I think it's going to be good for Saffron Walden to have the change,
0:50:34 > 0:50:39cos I think a lot of people who live in the town are stuck in this market town ideal.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41And obviously it's a brilliant town to live in
0:50:41 > 0:50:44and I couldn't hope for anywhere better to grow up in,
0:50:44 > 0:50:47but I think the houses will bring something new to Saffron Walden
0:50:47 > 0:50:50and hopefully sort of regenerate it a little bit.
0:50:50 > 0:50:52Yeah. More people, new people.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55We want it to be as diverse as possible and want everyone to enjoy the town.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57And how do you think the town would change
0:50:57 > 0:51:01if it gained another 800 or so houses on the edge?
0:51:01 > 0:51:04- Hopefully it would change for the better.- I think it will.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Saffron Walden's in its own little bubble, in a way.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09It would be nice to break that bubble
0:51:09 > 0:51:12and have more people in the town. Sort of mix things up a little bit.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17There's one thing in danger of being forgotten
0:51:17 > 0:51:21in the debate about whether or not to build.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23Vibrant towns have jobs and, at the moment,
0:51:23 > 0:51:28Saffron Walden doesn't have the work for hundreds of new households,
0:51:28 > 0:51:33so they'll end up commuting to somewhere that does have the work,
0:51:33 > 0:51:35like London or Cambridge.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39But what if Saffron Walden rose to the challenge?
0:51:39 > 0:51:42Began building jobs as well as houses?
0:51:45 > 0:51:49Tucked inside this timber yard, where you'd least expect to find it,
0:51:49 > 0:51:51is an exciting new venture.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56This is the Indian Summer Brewing Company,
0:51:56 > 0:52:01brainchild of ex-City trader Julian Hales.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04He wanted to create a British beer
0:52:04 > 0:52:07to accompany the most popular food in the land - curry.
0:52:09 > 0:52:13- There we go.- Not used to drinking mid-morning but thank you very much.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16- Hoppy, yeah.- Yeah, you get a good nose on that.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25It's fruity, isn't it? You can taste the...grapefruit, lemon, citrus?
0:52:25 > 0:52:31Not sure. Citrus, grapefruit...is what the hop combination will bring out.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33And it's sharp.
0:52:33 > 0:52:37You imagine a little bit of heat in your mouth and that just quenching the fire.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40I'd enjoy this with a good veg curry, no question.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44- Excellent.- It's difficult to stop, isn't it?- It is very drinkable, yes.
0:52:44 > 0:52:50OK, Nick. As with all jobs, brewing isn't all fun.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52There's a fair amount of drudgery.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54- Right.- And you can be my slave today.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57Oh. What have I let myself in for?
0:52:57 > 0:52:58Just dig it out.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01There we go.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06Put your back into it! We'll be here all day!
0:53:06 > 0:53:11I'm just a weak city type, Jules. I'm not used to this manual labour!
0:53:11 > 0:53:14How does this compare to your earlier life?
0:53:14 > 0:53:19It's certainly a lot more physical, I can assure you. Different stresses.
0:53:19 > 0:53:24Because from this moment on, once you start making the beer,
0:53:24 > 0:53:27I now start fretting as to how it's going to turn out.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30And what are you bringing to the town by doing this?
0:53:30 > 0:53:33People actually know Saffron Walden quite well, so that
0:53:33 > 0:53:38"brewed in Saffron Walden" on the label really does mean something.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41Proper English traditional town
0:53:41 > 0:53:45and we're trying to put something a little more modern into it.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48How has Saffron Walden changed over the last years?
0:53:48 > 0:53:52There's a lot more people here, obviously, a lot more traffic.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55In the old days, you could come down the high street
0:53:55 > 0:53:58and park anywhere you like and the only four-wheel-drives you saw
0:53:58 > 0:54:01were driven by farmers with mud all over them.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05Obviously there's a trend now towards lots of nice shiny ones going up and down there,
0:54:05 > 0:54:09but these people bring in wealth into the area.
0:54:09 > 0:54:15If those people spend their money in the community, then we all benefit.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17Some of them are probably drinking Bombay Blonde, too.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21I hope so, yes. After a hard day in the City, it's a good tonic.
0:54:21 > 0:54:22NICK LAUGHS
0:54:22 > 0:54:25No more days commuting to the City for Jules -
0:54:25 > 0:54:28his skills stay in Saffron Walden.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32That's not just good for him but for other businesses, too.
0:54:32 > 0:54:37- How are you doing?- Lovely to see you.- Hi, there, Paul.- Hello, pleased to meet you.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40Paul is our pig farmer who takes away all the grist.
0:54:40 > 0:54:46That's right, yes. We use it with our rare breed pigs who are very fond of it.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53So you give Paul the spent grain?
0:54:53 > 0:54:54And I get my tea!
0:54:54 > 0:54:56- That's it!- Pork chops. Pleasure!
0:54:56 > 0:54:59- Lovely pork chops.- Absolutely, yeah. Straight from the farm.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03That's a really kind of medieval operation you've got going here, a bit of barter, yeah.
0:55:03 > 0:55:09But it works well for everybody and gets rid of the otherwise waste product, of course, for Jules.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12- And the pigs really like this? - They do, yeah.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14- Good to meet you.- Pleasure. And you, yeah. Nice to see you.
0:55:14 > 0:55:18Cheers for now, Jules. All right, see you. Cheerio for now.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25Here's a local success story - a product that's made in Saffron Walden -
0:55:25 > 0:55:28something that reclaims the town's market roots.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35It's a special day for Saffron Walden.
0:55:35 > 0:55:40The chance to commemorate and the opportunity to celebrate.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44These are the soldiers from 33 Engineer Regiment
0:55:44 > 0:55:47based at nearby Carver Barracks.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51They're returning from a six-month tour of Afghanistan.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55They've one of the toughest jobs in the Army - bomb disposal.
0:55:55 > 0:56:01And as a mark of respect for this work, they have the Honorary Freedom of the District.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04Task force - 'shun!
0:56:06 > 0:56:12Mr Mayor, councillors, ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege
0:56:12 > 0:56:16and pleasure to welcome you all to Saffron Walden today.
0:56:16 > 0:56:21We greet those who have just returned from an onerous duty
0:56:21 > 0:56:26in Afghanistan. At the same time, we honour
0:56:26 > 0:56:29and remember those who have given their lives in this campaign.
0:56:32 > 0:56:36Commuter, local, young and old -
0:56:36 > 0:56:40everyone has turned out to say thank you on behalf of the town.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42Right turn!
0:57:01 > 0:57:04Saffron Walden is at a turning point.
0:57:04 > 0:57:08It's being forced to ask huge questions of itself.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12Expansion comes at a cost of green fields and countryside
0:57:12 > 0:57:14and brings risks and uncertainties.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23Supporters of expansion argue that this commuter town
0:57:23 > 0:57:27needs to build affordably for a new generation.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32It's a problem of scale, of course.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36If it was 50 houses, there'd be no row.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40But in a small town, adding over 800 is a step change.
0:57:43 > 0:57:46It's the difference between evolution and revolution.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52With London, that voracious metropolis,
0:57:52 > 0:57:55just down the line, and with pressure as never before to build
0:57:55 > 0:58:00in the South East, Saffron Walden is wise to brace itself for change.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04It's been here before - the coming of the Normans,
0:58:04 > 0:58:06the rise and the fall of the markets in saffron,
0:58:06 > 0:58:11in wool and malting, the arrival of the railway and then its removal,
0:58:11 > 0:58:16the swamping of these medieval streets with motor cars.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18Convulsions are nothing new.
0:58:18 > 0:58:22If a surge in house building proves unavoidable, it'll be this
0:58:22 > 0:58:25town's self-belief in its heritage
0:58:25 > 0:58:29and in its community spirit that guides it into the next age.
0:58:32 > 0:58:35Next time I'm in Huddersfield.
0:58:35 > 0:58:40I'll be finding out how an out-of-the-way village became a textile giant.
0:58:40 > 0:58:44I'll see what brings one of the town's most famous sons back home
0:58:44 > 0:58:48and why Huddersfield is still at the cutting edge of technology.
0:59:11 > 0:59:14Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd