The name Halstead is said to derive from the Old English hald (refuge, shelter, healthy) and stede (site, place or farm), meaning "healthy farm", "safe place" or "place of refuge". Townsford Mill spans the river at the bottom of the town. In its heyday this beautiful building was a silk mill but you may recognise it's white, wooden clad 18th century exterior from the TV series Lovejoy.? Still home to a host of antique dealers today, the mill straddles the river Colne which runs through the heart of the town.
