About Halstead Town

Halstead is an attractive rural town well worth a day out. It boasts magnificent public gardens, which play host to live music on summer Sunday afternoons, and to other public events during the year. It has a flourishing arts centre in the Empire Theatre, which holds live performance of plays and pantomimes as well as tribute acts, and films, with plans to extend this into a more modern hub for the town’s Arts Performances, whilst retaining the charm and character of the historic building.

The town is well known all over East Anglia for its In Bloom awards, and the town is lucky to be full of flowers all year round, due to the tireless volunteers of Halstead in Bloom. The town also has a flourishing History Society and Museum, which provides fascinating insights into the history of the town, which is home to many buildings built by the industrialist Samuel Courtauld.

Halstead lies seven miles north of Braintree and is an attractive traditional market town with a wealth of shops, restaurants and interesting walks.

With a population of over 13,500, Halstead has grown steadily and it has several estates of modern houses as well as the expected amenities of 21st century life. Schools are of a high standard and local health facilities include a hospital and medical centre. Leisure opportunities, too are of a high standard with most sports catered for. There are several playing fields and a leisure centre and swimming pool. Clubs and organisations for all ages and interests can be found and the town’s community spirit is typified by the Empire, a popular local theatre and cinema used for weekly bingo, live shows and films.

Halstead has a variety of individual shops and a small market held on Fridays, and is a very friendly place to visit. The Town Council has a responsibility to cater for the needs of the growing population and younger generation, but also to balance these demands and preserve what is best for everyone, whether it be buildings, open spaces or leisure facilities

The Halstead Heritage Museum is manned on a Wednesday & Sunday from 13:30 – 16:00 from February to the end of November.  The museum closes over December and January.