In writing about The Walden’s inaugural issue, former town mayor Joy Rider wrote, ‘[The Walden] takes its place in the pantheon of great books about Saffron Walden, alongside ‘S**t Walks of Saffron Walden and Surrounding Area,’ and ‘Great Grates of Saffron Walden.‘
Dex had never heard of either of these books, so he asked me to find them. In my search, I found a handful of forgotten books about the town, including the aforementioned titles, and a notable third title: Walls and Windows of Walden by Willie Williamson.
Here’s a brief overview of each title.
Shit Walks of Saffron Walden and Surrounding Area
Rick Titball, 2020. Arnold Press.
Rick Titball released this book in the first few months of the Covid-19 lockdown. In that regard, the book is already dated. For example, none of the sixty-nine walks is over an hour in length (an hour each day being the maximum amount of time people were allowed outside for exercise).
However, notable shit walks include Shire Hill Industrial Estate (which Titball recommends taking on a cold, overcast day) and an exciting tour around the Ashdon sewerage works. The book covers the sewerage work’s rich history and is best experienced on a balmy summer’s day.
Shit Walks is tough to find nowadays. After its release, it received condemnation from the local council, which banned it from all the town’s shops. “There are no shit walks in either Walden or the surrounding area.”
The determined may be able to find copies on the dark web.
Great Grates of Saffron Walden
Sue Flay, 1977. Bench Press.
In June of 1971, bored housewife Sue Flay embarked on a two-day tour of Saffron Walden, photographing and collecting the many exciting stories about the grates about town. She then spent seven years compiling these into this 500-page book.
If you have even the slightest interest in grates, this book is well worth searching for. Be warned, however, its rarity means it commands a high price.
Walls and Windows of Walden
Willie Williamson, 1988. Double Kettlebell Overhead Press.
Willie Williamson (b. 1920 – d. 1987) was an architectural photographer and pornographer. His early pornographic work regularly appeared in publications such as Rear Window, Outhouse and pioneering geriatric porn magazine: Barely Eighty.
In 1969 he published Knobs and Knockers of Knebworth, a study of door knobs and door knockers in the Hertfordshire village of Knebworth. The book received worldwide critical acclaim.
Nearly two decades later, Williamson published the work he will be remembered for, Walls and Windows of Walden, a study of the many walls and windows of Saffron Walden. It was published posthumously.
Williamson died in the months following The Great Essex Peasant Rebellion of 1986, after he became addicted to sunbeds. The government had offered every Essex resident a free tanning session to end the rebellion. Unfortunately, Williamson continued to visit the many tanning salons around town, ploughing his wealth into achieving the perfect tan. As a result, he became affectionally known as Crispy Bacon. He was ultimately found shrivelled up like an autumn leaf in his back garden.
Copies of Walls and Windows of Walden are easily found, and it has been translated into fifty different languages.