Just south of Bishop’s Stortford in East Hertfordshire, sits the ancient town of Sawbridgeworth. Known even from the Saxon period as an affluent and prosperous locale; Sawbridgeworth’s identity and design fabric is thoroughly rooted in this prosperous heritage. Many houses in the local area consist of grand Georgian country manor homes and large Regency era detached properties, with prices sometimes well over £3 million! Although there are properties with far more modest structures, these are still often expensive, with a four-bed red-brick detached suburban home priced at £800,000.

Sawbridgeworth was first recorded after the Norman Conquest of Britain, in the 1086 Domesday Book, where it was recorded as ‘Sabrixteworde’. This unusual spelling was common in ancient spellings of the town, as it was often spelled in a variety of different ways throughout history. This is potentially because the first half of the word, Sawbridge/Sabrixte comes from a personal name - rather than a physical place-marker. Sawbridgeworth was quickly cultivated for agricultural purposes, and soon the prosperity flowed. By even the time of the 1086 Domesday, the town had over 209 households, putting it in the biggest 20% of locales in the whole of Britain at the time.

Although closely linked to nearby Bishop’s Stortford and Harlow Town, the medieval centre of Sawbridgeworth has a distinct identity, which is closely protected by its residents. One of these features is the Parish Church of Great St Mary’s, located in the centre of Sawbridgeworth. This medieval church is dated back to the 13th century, with significant rennovations by G E Pritchett between 1856-59, and has Grade I listed status due to its particular construction and strong Hertfordshire identity.

Owing to the medieval core of the town, development for large retailers or large-scale housing projects are restricted and often slow. However, the East Herts District Plan from 2011-2033 has identified the need for a more robust housing market within the Sawbridgeworth locale that caters to a range of needs, financial backgrounds, and ages. Therefore, the council has allocated a minimum of 500 mixed-use dwellings to be installed in the fringes of the Sawbridgeworth locale, highlighting the potential for infrastructural development!