The name Thaxted comes from the Saxon "Thec stede", which describes a place where thatching is found. From a Saxon village, Thaxted grew to become an important town in the Middle Ages, its wealth derived from the cutlery industry and reflected in the many interesting medieval and Georgian buildings for which the town is renowned.
Clarance House, near the start of the walk, was built in 1715 for the apothecary and has a fine Queen Anne doorway (notable for being made of brick, whereas most of the town's buildings are timber-framed). In contrast, just the other side of the church — to which you will return later — are two beautifully preserved almshouses, both now private dwellings.
The thatched building on the left is known as The Chantry and was built in the 15th century as a priest's house, before being converted in 1589 to an almshouse for four people. The building on the right was built as an almshouse for eight couples in 1714 and renovated in 1975 to accommodate three elderly couples, winning the Heritage Year Certificate of Merit.
Just past the almshouses is Thaxted Windmill, built by John Webb in 1804. It is the only surviving mill in the area; it worked for over a century before stopping in 1907 when no longer viable, and has undergone extensive restoration. From the top there are marvellous views of the town and surrounding countryside.
After the windmill, the walk continues through fields and alongside the River Chelmer, which is more of a stream at this point. Its shallow waters run over a gravel and mud bed, and the banks are lined with small trees and hedgerows supporting a wide variety of wildlife.
The construction of the magnificent Church of St John the Baptist, St Mary and St Lawrence was started in 1340, funded by the powerful House of Clare (who owned the local manor) and by prosperous cutlers in the town. It took over 170 years to complete; the stone spire is 181 feet (55 metres) high with flying buttresses at its base and was rebuilt in 1822 after being struck by lightning in 1814. Of special note is the highly ornate late 15th-century font and font cover in the north aisle.
On leaving the church, the walk continues down the cobbled street called Stony Lane, where Dick Turpin's cottage is found. The notorious highwayman was born a few miles away in Hempstead, and local legend suggests his uncle may have lived here and that he was a frequent visitor. Born in 1705, Turpin was hanged in York in 1739 for the murder of an Epping gamekeeper, having led a short career as a butcher's apprentice, cattle lifter, smuggler, housebreaker, and horse thief.
At the end of Stony Lane is the magnificent Guildhall, built by the cutlers in about 1400 for use by the guild. It has an open arched ground floor with two-storey jetties above and a double-pitched roof; the open paved ground floor was used as a market, while the upper floor served as living quarters for a warden (the Guildhall is still used today as a meeting place for the parish council).
Further along Town Street is The Manse, where composer and music teacher Gustav Holst lived from 1917 to 1925 (Holst had lived in Thaxted since 1914, at first in nearby Monk Street where he wrote his seven-movement orchestral suite The Planets, and he wrote several works especially for Thaxted while almost always playing the church organ at Christmas).
