(Sorry still under construction)
Halstead - Market days Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. The name is said to mean 'a healthy place' and dates from Anglo-Saxon times. An attractive market town, where the main road and market is on the slope of a hill. Big name shops and small local ones. Several car parks nearby. River at the bottom of the hill can be seen flowing through the control sluice for Townsford Mill. This river sometimes floods during very wet weather. The mill now houses an antiques centre which is home to many small antiques shops on three floors. Old pubs include the Bull hotel, which is 14th century and timber framed. St Andrews Church also dates from the 14th century and is near the top of the hill across the road from the Jubilee Fountain. There is a public gardens and The Empire is a small cinema which shows the latest films and has live shows but is run by volunteers.
Local Towns within a 30 minute drive
Finchingfield - A very pretty village about eight miles from Braintree which is crawling with tourists during the Summer months. Set in a valley with the stream running through the middle and forming the village pond which has several different types of ducks which wander all over the place. Several pubs in the village but difficult to park when in peak season. Picture of Finchingfield
Finchingfield website
Great Dunmow
Little Maplestead - Has a pretty round church called, St John of Jerusalem, dating from the times of the Knights Templar.
Thaxted
Witham
Weathersfield - Used to have a USAF/RAF base which has its own website. RAF Wethersfield
Black Notley and White Notley - Black Notley suffered badly during the plague, White Notley got through it more or less unaffected, hence the names.
Home to Halstead index page
