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15th Century Period Cottage In Saffron Walden, Essex, England

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A traditional Tudor-style building with white-framed windows, a brick facade, and a black door.
A formal garden with geometric hedges, a central fountain, and a small building in the background.
A rustic kitchen with a brick fireplace, wooden dining table, and white cabinetry.
A bedroom with a bed, two bedside tables, and a wooden ceiling.
A window with white frames and floral curtains, a vase with pink flowers, and a remote control on the windowsill.

Reviews

10 out of 10, Loved by Guests
Top 1% of guest reviews in this area
This cottage offers space for 4 guests with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It is near golf, ideal for active families. Explore the Church of St. Mary and Bridge End Gardens while staying in the city center, close to shopping and cultural attractions.

Highlights

  • Family fun awaits

    Top-rated for families.

  • Games

    A rare find - enjoy a variety of games available on-site.

  • Centrally-located

    You're never far from where you need to be with this convenient location.

  • Discover nearby landmarks

    Walk to Bridge End Gardens
2 bedrooms2 bathroomsSleeps 4

Popular amenities

  • Onsite parking available
  • Kitchen
  • Washing machine
  • Barbecue grill
  • Fenced yard
  • Free Wi-Fi

Explore the area

View in a map
Saffron Walden, ENG
  • Place, Bridge End Gardens
    ‪2 min walk‬
  • Place, Market Square
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, Audley End House
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Airport, London (STN-Stansted)
    ‪23 min drive‬

Where you'll sleep

2 bedrooms (sleeps 4)

Bedroom 1

1 Double Bed

Bedroom 2

2 Single Beds

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Soap · Towels provided · Bathtub or shower · Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only · Shampoo · Hair dryer

Bathroom 2

Soap · Towels provided · Toilet · Shower only · Shampoo · Hair dryer

Spaces

Kitchen
Garden
Dining area

About this property

15th Century Period Cottage In Saffron Walden, Essex, England

Chocolate box cottage in the heart of the market town of Saffron Walden and yet situated in a quiet back street and only 0.2 miles from the Market Square passing by an artisan bakery and interesting shops and restaurants along the way.

The cottage has undergone extensive renovation to include kitchen, bathroom and en-suite yet retains all of its historic character. The cottage is heavily beamed with a large inglenook fireplace to two rooms, oak floors to the downstairs. It has a small and very private courtyard garden. The property has on road parking available outside. Ideally situated to explore Saffron Walden and Cambridge and London is easily accessed by the local station Audley End which is a 5 minute drive away from the cottage. It is just perfect for two - four guests and idyllic for two.
Drake Cottage received the ROSE award from Visit England in 2022 in recognition of service excellence - only 100 hospitality venues receive the award in any year.

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House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM

Check out before 10:00 AM

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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17

Highchair , travel cot and stair gate available

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Events

No events allowed

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Pets

No pets allowed

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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Smoking is allowed outside on the patio .

Check-out instructions

The host requires you to complete the following before checking out:

Start the dishwasher

Strip any used beds and gather used towels

Remove leftover food and drinks and take out the rubbish

Lock the doors and return the keys

Please return keys to lock box on departure .

Please strip beds of duvet cover, pillow cases and sheet if time allows.

Please place all towels in the bathtub.

Failure to complete these may result in a negative review from the host.

Due to the age of the house absolutely no candles or naked flames can be used in the cottage but we do provide LED flickering candles for your use

Bookings only accepted one year in advance.

Important information

You need to know

Property # 8126013
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios and terraces, which may not be suitable for children; if you have any concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm that they can accommodate you in a suitable room

About the area

Saffron Walden

Located in Saffron Walden, this cottage is in the city centre. Walden Castle Ruins and Audley End House are local landmarks, and some of the area's activities can be experienced at Chilford Hall Vineyard and Gog Magog Golf Club. Travelling with kids? Consider Bridge End Gardens and Saffron Walden Amazes. Spend some time exploring the area's activities, including golfing.
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Map
Saffron Walden, ENG

What's nearby

  • Church of St. Mary - 2 min walk - 0.2 km
  • Bridge End Gardens - 2 min walk - 0.2 km
  • Market Square - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • The Common - 4 min walk - 0.4 km
  • Audley End House - 3 min drive - 2.7 km

Getting around

  • Audley End Station - 5 min drive
  • London (STN-Stansted) - 20 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪The Crown - ‬4 min drive
  • ‪The Bell Inn - ‬5 min drive
  • ‪The Cross Keys Hotel - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Waffle and Coffee - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪The Curious Goat - ‬4 min walk

Frequently asked questions

Is 15th Century Period Cottage In Saffron Walden, Essex, England pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking at 15th Century Period Cottage In Saffron Walden, Essex, England?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at 15th Century Period Cottage In Saffron Walden, Essex, England?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at 15th Century Period Cottage In Saffron Walden, Essex, England?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is 15th Century Period Cottage In Saffron Walden, Essex, England located?

Located in the heart of Saffron Walden, this family-friendly cottage is steps away from Fry Art Gallery, Bridge End Gardens and Church of St. Mary. Saffron Walden Amazes and Market Square are also within 5 minutes.

Reviews

10

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
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Rating 10 - Excellent. 139 out of 146 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 7 out of 146 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 146 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 146 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 146 reviews

10/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Amenities

10/10

Property conditions & facilities

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

10/10

Location

10/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
A wonderful period cottage right in the center of town yet on a peaceful street. Saffron Walden is a great location to visit many of the beautiful villages and towns in the area with close proximity to Stansted Airport. An easy train ride from Liverpool Street station on the Stansted Express.Walk to the local supermarket and also a great place called “Cook” that has premade food to throw in the oven after a busy day exploring. The outdoor sitting area was also great!Thank you and I hope to be back!
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
WOW! What can I say? This place was amazing. Great town. Great people. Easy to navigate to London. The local town is full of history and is beautiful. Thank you very allowing us to stay in your home.
Stayed 4 nights in May 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 27 May, 2026
Thank you for your very kind review and so very glad you enjoyed staying at the cottage - come back and visit us again one day we'd love to have you stay again and do have many regular visitors who come back every year.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
The cottage was lovely, it had absolutely everything you could want and was warm and comfortable.
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 30 Dec, 2025
Thank you Angela, so glad you enjoyed your Christmas stay at the cottage and particularly happy to hear it was both warm and comfortable. Come back and visit us in the future, Best wishes, Deb
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
The cottage is lovely! Well-appointed, spotless, cozy and quiet. Well-situated and an easy and quick walk to town for food, shopping and a museum! The hosts responded quickly and friendly to questions and concerns. Highly recommended and we will be back.
Stayed 7 nights in Feb 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 24 Feb, 2026
So glad you enjoyed your stay at the cottage and its position is just perfect for exploring the town and enjoying walks in Audley End not to mention carrying goodies back from the market. We'd certainly love you to come back again - we are proud to have quite a few regulars that come back each year .
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
This cottage is perfect - it is spotlessly clean and every convenience has been thought of and provided. The location is perfect for exploring the town and the local countryside and we were extremely comfortable. We would stay here again!
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 2 Nov, 2025
Dear Amelia, thank you so much for your very kind comments and so glad you enjoyed your stay. Do let me know if there was anything missing in your stay or that we could have done better as that's the only way we improve. We look forward to welcoming you back to Drake Cottage on a future date. Best wishes, Deb
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Perfect location, very high spec property, great amenities.
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

A wonderful stay. A beautiful cottage in a perfect location.

A wonderful stay. A beautiful cottage in a perfect location.
Stayed 12 nights in Jun 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 9 Jul, 2023
Thank you Dominic for your kind words and so glad you both enjoyed your stay at the cottage. I think its location was what drew me to the cottage - a quiet backwater in the medieval part of the town and yet walkable to everything in the town. Come back and visit us soon.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Beautiful character property in great location. Fantastic communication from start to finish
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Delightful cottage, well furnished and supplied with all essentials (including non-essentials like a charcoal BBQ with implements- buy your own charcoal). I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there.
Stayed 11 nights in Jul 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 4 Aug, 2025
Hi Ian, thank you for your kind review . I'm so glad you enjoyed your stay and hope you'll come back to the cottage on a future occasion.I try to equip the cottage with what I need when i'm staying there myself and it seems to work. Glad you got to use the Weber kettle grill and hope you were able to get some charcoal at the local QD 2 minutes walk away .
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Drake Cottage

Beautiful cottage in a stunning location.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 17 May, 2025
Thank you for your kind review and do come back and visit the cottage in the future.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Everything was thought of. There was even umbrellas available.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 8 Dec, 2025
Thank you Matthew - glad you had a good stay at the cottage. I always stay at the cottage for a few weeks every year and it's such a good way of finding out what needs replacing etc. Do come back and visit us in the future
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Very characterful cottage

Very cosy quirky cottage. Had a great time in a home from home with everything you could want.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2018
Response from VrboOwner on 9 Jul, 2023
Dear Ann, Thank you so much for your lovely review and do let me know if there is anything we can improve on; as it is only by hearing from our guests that we get to improve. Come back and visit us soon. Deb
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely short break

Clean, comfortable and quirky property which was actually better than we expected as the photos don’t do it justice! Thank you for a lovely stay.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 9 Jul, 2023
Thank you Helen for writing such a lovely review and sounds like I need to get my camera skills brushed up and get some more photos done. It is difficult to capture how lovely the cottage is but then I am a bit biased. Come back and visit us again soon.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
We absolutely loved our stay in your cottage, it was spotlessly clean,very cosy and comfortable.We love that it was right in the centre of town so was so easy to walk everywhere.Thank you so much Sherry,Pete,Dianne and Gordon
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 18 Jul, 2025
Thank you Cherrilyn , so glad you enjoyed your stay at Drake Cottage . Its location is just perfect - steps away from the hustle and bustle of the town and steps away from a walk in the Audley End Estate. I'll pass on your praise to Lucy , our housekeeper, she does keep the cottage in perfect order. Best wishes, Deb
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely cottage

Drake Cottage is a delightful place to stay. It’s (really) old and beautifully renovated with lots of great touches for guests. It’s very close to the centre of Saffron Walden but quiet.would love to come back.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 25 Oct, 2024
Thank you so much for your great review and we would love to welcome you back on a future occasion and hopefully , this time we’ll be able to do all the dates !
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
A lovely, charming cottage very close to everything we needed for our trip. It is full of character and it is obvious that someone has thought about all the details. We enjoyed our time immensely.Thank you
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Charming!

Such an amazing location. Right in town and close to everything. We had a great time.
Stayed 7 nights in May 2018
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Excellent Stay

Cozy cottage with full of character, made great by the owners attention to detail. No complaints at all.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 27 Oct, 2023
Thank you so much for your very kind review . I hope you’ll come back and visit us again in the future. I try to stay in the cottage myself during the year and pick up on the things that are needed or on the things that don’t work so well, this I hope helps us get it right for our guests..
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely house

A lovely old house in Saffron Walden. A beautiful village, close to Cambridge.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 17 Nov, 2024
Dear Joseph, thank you for your kind review and do hope you found it easy to get into Cambridge. I still do the 20 minute drive when I'm there but the train is often easier from Audley End Station especially during rush hour. Come back and visit us soon.
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Luxury in quiet cul-de-sac in charming town

Modernised to the highest standards, this property was ideal for our family of five plus dog. It is close to many places of interest and even the cold wet weather didn't dampen our enjoyment.
Response from VrboOwner on 9 Jul, 2023
Thank you for your very kind review of Drake Cottage and we are thrilled that you enjoyed your stay. We like to recommend that the cottage is at its best for 2 or 4 people but clearly it still worked for 5 of you and your dog. Hope you visit again and the weather is kinder next time.
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Lovely old period cottage in beautiful town

Cottage was spotlessly clean, lovely interesting and well-equipped. There is so much to explore in Saffron Walden. Bridge End Gardens are delightful.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2018
Response from VrboOwner on 9 Jul, 2023
Dear Neil, Thank you so much for the lovely review and kudos as always goes to our very wonderful housekeeper, Lucy who does such an amazing job looking after Drake Cottage. Hope you got to go in the maze at Bridge End Gardens- we always have to find out way to the centre when we visit even though we actually know the route off by heart by now. Come back and visit us soon. Deb
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

One of the oldest houses in Saffron Walden!

A most delightful and original cottage- very lovingly arranged for holidaymakers. Superbly equipped - nothing wanting at all!
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Just Excellent

This is the place where we always try to stay when in Saffron Walden. Highly recommended
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing

Perfect ! amazing place ! fully equiped !
Stayed 4 nights in May 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful quirky cottage

We all had a wonderful time in this charming cottage. It was comfortable, clean & had all we needed for our long weekend. Be warned though - the beams are low & very unforgiving!!!!
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 9 Jul, 2023
Thank you Pauline for your lovely review and so glad you enjoyed your stay . It is ‘Duck or Grouse’ without a doubt . I know the cottage so well and yet I even manage to bump my head . The low beams and the narrow staircase do give it its charm though

About the host

Hosted by Deborah Wheatley

Host profile image

This cottage was bought to be our personal bolt hole when visiting England and also a home to share with our friends and family as we currently live in Fort Lauderdale Florida. We have dual British and American citizenship having moved to the USA 23 years ago.

The cottage is our personal pride and joy and it will be a pleasure for us to share this historic cottage with you.

Why they chose this property

We fell in love with the cottage in 2012 while visiting Saffron Walden; it was so pretty with roses around the door and only a 2 minute walk from the town's restaurants and shops. We had lived in Saffron Walden before moving to Chicago, USA in 1999 and now live in Fort Lauderdale , Florida. We are very happy to have bought the cottage so we get to spend time in England.
We love Saffron Walden with its historic centre and market place and the cottage's location, though in a very quiet street, is only a few minutes from the shops, market place, pubs and restaurants making it unnecessary to drive anywhere when in town. The cottage is only 25 minutes drive from the centre of Cambridge and a 45 minute train ride to the London Underground.

What makes this property unique

If you are looking for a romantic period cottage to spend a week or weekend this cottage is a perfect match. 15th century charm with up to date plumbing, kitchen and bathrooms.

It's location between Cambridge and London make it an ideal base for visiting the UK as the Audley End train station with its regular service to both cities is a 10 minute drive away making it unnecessary to drive into the cities. It is also perfectly situated for touring the East Anglia area including Suffolk and Norfolk.

The cottage oozes character from every beam and has a very warm and welcoming atmosphere. Audley End Park is only a 5 minute walk away from the cottage meaning you can enjoy the English countryside as well as all that the town itself offers.

Languages:

English

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