Halstead & Colne Valley District Website
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Information
Halstead & Colne Valley is a scout district in the north of Essex covering the town of Halstead and villages in the surrounding area. Halstead is a picturesque market town with approximately 10,000 residents and is situated on the River Colne. The town was was given its name by the Saxons:: 'Hael' meaning healthy or well, and 'stead' meaning place.Townsford Mill stands in the centre of the town. Since 1809 this mill and the silk mill in the nearby town of Braintree formed the centre of the Courtauld family textile empire, which now has production plants throughout the world.
Many fine buildings and other artefacts in Halstead still exist today due to the generosity of the members of the Courtauld family during the past two centuries. Townsford Mill today is an antiques centre.
There is a scout group in Halstead, and others in the surrounding villages of Castle Hedingham, Earls Colne, Gosfield, Great Yeldham, Sible Hedingham and Steeple Bumpstead. The District also has a Venture Scout Unit, De Vere VSU, which is based at Earls Colne.
The district scout shop is based at Frank Smith, 59 High Street, Halstead (Telephone 01787 472079) where uniforms and other scout items can be purchased.
The district badge depicts Hedingham Castle located in the village of Castle Hedingham, just a few miles north west from Halstead. It was built in 1140 by a famous medieval family, the de Veres (hence the name of the venture scout unit), and it is still owned by their descendants today.