Editing Halstead (section)

==Amenities==
Halstead has a library in a large open-plan building,<ref>Essex libraries [http://libraries.essex.gov.uk/library-locations-and-opening-times/halstead-library/ Retrieved 3 November 2017.]</ref> built in 1864–1866 as the corn exchange. It has also housed a technical school. Nearby [[Moyns Park]], a [[Grade I listed]] [[Elizabethan]] [[country house]], is where [[Ian Fleming]] put the finishing touches to his novel ''[[From Russia, with Love (novel)|From Russia, with Love]]'', according to the cover text of some recent editions.

The town history society holds regular monthly meetings.<ref>Halstead & District Local History Society [http://www.halsteadhistory.org.uk/ Retrieved 3 November 2017.]</ref> There is a town museum attached to the town council offices featuring historical artefacts and objects of local interest. The Colne Valley Postal History Museum is a privately run museum of British postal history with one of the largest collections of post office letter boxes and telephone kiosks and is situated on Head Street. It holds regular open days throughout the year. The redundant Trinity Church , which was designed by Sir [[Giles Gilbert Scott]] is used for occasional concerts and art exhibitions. The Empire Theatre in Butler Road hosts occasional bingo nights. Halstead is home to Hume's Bakery, which opened in 1960 in the shop where it trades today.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Humes Bakery – Halstead – Essex {{!}} Essex Gourmet |url=http://www.essexgourmet.co.uk/essex_bakers_patisseries/essex_bakers_patisseries.php?bId=MjEw |website=www.essexgourmet.co.uk |access-date=2015-06-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150620135130/http://www.essexgourmet.co.uk/essex_bakers_patisseries/essex_bakers_patisseries.php?bId=MjEw |archive-date=20 June 2015 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.humesbakery.co.uk |title=Hume's Bakery - Home |website=www.humesbakery.co.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929094953/http://humesbakery.co.uk/ |archive-date=2015-09-29}} </ref>

The Jubilee Drinking Fountain was designed by the architect and architectural designer, [[Leonard Shuffrey]]. The stone drinking fountain was presented to the town by [[George Courtauld (politician)|George Courtauld]], and commemorates the [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Leonard Shuffrey Jubilee Drinking Fountain, Halstead |url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/jubilee-drinking-fountain-303478 |website=ArtUK |publisher=ArtUK |access-date=1 February 2023}}</ref>