Publications
Welcome to our shop within which you will find a selection of publications that we currently have for sale.
Please note that the prices shown are for UK sales only. For sales outside the UK or trade orders please email shop@halsteadhistory.org.uk for an estimate of shipping costs.
Once you have made your selection and entered your address details you will be able to choose the appropriate shipping method and the total cost will be amended accordingly.

HDLHS Publications
A hundred years ago Halstead was a very different place to shop. In those days it was possible to purchase 99% of all your requirements from one of the High Street's 100 premises.
This is a comprehensively revised and updated edition of 'Shopping in Halstead a Century Ago' which was originally published in 2016.
This is a comprehensively revised and updated edition of 'Shopping in Halstead a Century Ago' which was originally published in 2016.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 11.00

HDLHS Publications
This book is written as a tribute to Doreen Potts, a long standing and highly respected member of The Halstead & District Local History Society. It covers aspects of the history of the town, the majority of which have not previously been published. New articles and photographs include, shops, transport and horse and cart to charabancs and buses, the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway, old houses and farms of yesteryear and the families who lived in them.
Limited availability
Price without discount£ 12.95

HDLHS Publications
A detailed history of Halstead Hospital written to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 1984.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 1.95

HDLHS Publications
An illustrated history of Great Yeldham including all aspects of village life.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 6.95

HDLHS Publications
Anyone with an interest in Halstead and its football club cannot fail to be delighted with this carefully researched book.
(updated January 2017)
(updated January 2017)
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 7.00

HDLHS Publications
This excellent book is a must have for anyone interested in the history of Halstead.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 9.95

HDLHS Publications
A pictorial history of Sible Hedingham capturing street scenes, principal buildings, people at work and industries prior to 1950.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 4.75

HDLHS Publications
A historic guide to Halstead, Essex including guided walks, maps and pictures.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 4.50

HDLHS Publications
An authentic history of the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway illustrated with many fascinating photographs.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 12.50

HDLHS Publications
The marriage of Joseph Linnett to Hannah Bentall resulted in the building of the 'Stone Cottages' in Greenstead Green.
Limited availability
Price without discount£ 3.00

HDLHS Publications
A meticulously researched, stirring and absorbing history of Halstead and the Colne Valley at War.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 4.50

HDLHS Publications
An outline history of the former Halstead Urban District Council recording its achievements, trials and tribulations.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 2.00

HDLHS Publications
This pictorial record of Halstead's past was originally published as a contribution to Essex Heritage Year in 1989.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 4.95

HDLHS Publications
The rise, success and demise of R. Hunt and Company Limited of Earls Colne, 1825 - 1988.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 6.95

HDLHS Publications
This fascinating collection of over 200 photographs covers nearly 100 years of the history of Halstead and the Colne Valley.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 10.00

HDLHS Publications
An illustrated account of the life of local artist and teacher Morton Mathews 1866 - 1953.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 4.95

HDLHS Publications
A brief guide covering the origins of Halstead, Essex produced by Essex County Council in co-operation with Braintree District Council and Halstead Town Council.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 2.00

HDLHS Publications
A fascinating look at the many trades and professions that flourished in the Halstead area during the late 19th and 20th Century.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 5.50

HDLHS Publications
The authors detailed recollections of his childhood in the North Essex village of Bulmer illustrated with photographs taken by his father.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 6.95

HDLHS Publications
For over 900 years Castle Hedingham was a focal point for justice within the North Hinckford (North Essex) area.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 9.95

HDLHS Publications
The author recounts her childhood and experiences of growing up in the North Essex villages of Great and Little Maplestead.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 4.50

The history of steam mechanisation in the Colne Valley punctuated with humerous anecdotes from those whose livlihoods depended on these fascinating machines.
Immediate availability
Price without discount£ 2.75
The following publications are available directly from the author and publisher:
Adrian Corder-Birch

Our Ancestors Were Brickmakers and Potters - by Adrian Corder-Birch
A history of the Corder and related families in the clay working industries by Adrian Corder-Birch, with photographs and illustrations by Christine Walker. A history of the Brickmaking and Pottery industries in Bulmer, Castle and Sible Hedingham, Gestingthorpe, Gosfield, Great Yeldham, Thundersley and other locations in Essex and Yorkshire with a particular emphasis upon the Corder and related families who owned, managed and worked in these brickworks and potteries for nearly two hundred years.
170 pages with detailed glossary, bibliography, references and index, including over 150 photographs, maps and documents, many in colour, the majority previously unpublished. A4 format.
£14.95
P&P: UK £3.50
Cheques in English Pounds Sterling payable to: 'Adrian Corder-Birch'

The Works - A History of Rippers Joinery Manufacturers of Castle and Sible Hedingham - by Pam and Adrian Corder-Birch
This book is about Rippers Limited, a joinery company which was started by three brothers in the 1890s that grew into a major employer in north Essex. It includes the hardship of the early days and gives an insight into how the company expanded, the products they made and the buildings where Ripper woodwork was used. A variety of wooden products were manufactured to help the war effort in the Boer, First and Second World Wars. It shows how the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway played an important part in Ripper's development, the industrial buildings within the factory and the housing which they built for their workers. There is a history of the Ripper family and numerous references to the employees who worked for them. The book includes George Evans and Sons Limited later Evans Bellhouse Limited and William Kay (Bolton) Limited, two northern companies which they acquired.
224 pages illustrated with many black and white photographs and images, A4 format.
£14.95
P&P: UK £3.50
Cheques in English Pounds Sterling payable to: 'Adrian Corder-Birch'

Bricks, Buildings and Transport - by Adrian Corder-Birch
This book is a comprehensive history of:
The Hedingham red brick industry during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including Mark Gentry, Charles Hilton, The Sible Hedingham Red Brick Company Limited and other brickmakers.
The use of red bricks in the Hedinghams and beyond is detailed together with the Edwardian development in parts of Sible Hedingham.
Road and rail transport, the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway and the first detailed history of light railways proposed for north Essex, which were planned but never built.
The Institute of Clayworkers and its founder Greville Montgomery who lived in Sible Hedingham. Foreword by Dr. James Bettley, architectural historian and author.
192 pages with detailed bibliography, references and index, over 140 photographs, maps and documents. some in colour and many previously unpublished, A4 format.
£14.95
P&P: UK £3.50
Cheques in English Pounds Sterling payable to: 'Adrian Corder-Birch'

SLOW BUT SURE: A history of the Portway family and the Tortoise Foundry at Halstead - by Adrian Corder-Birch
The book is a history of the Portway family and their industrial interests in Halstead. Charles Portway was an ironmonger with a large shop in the High Street and a warehouse in Chapel Street. In 1877 he patented the Tortoise Stove, which became famous worldwide and in 1882 established the Tortoise Foundry, located adjacent to the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway with its own siding. In 1938 two companies, Charles Portway and Son Limited and The Tortoise Foundry Company Limited were incorporated and continued production until 1975. The book also includes details of successor companies, which operated until 2004. The numerous employees of the shops, the foundry and other businesses are provided together with details of the prominent part, which members of the Portway family have taken, in many Halstead organisations.
192 pages, including over 150 illustrations, many in colour, A4 format
£14.95
P&P: UK £3.50
Cheques in English pounds sterling please payable to: 'Adrian Corder-Birch'.

A Centenary History of the Courtauld Homes of Rest 1923-2023, and a brief history of other almshouses in the Halstead area - by Adrian Corder-Birch
This book is a history of Almshouses in Halstead and District with an emphasis upon the Courtauld Homes of Rest in Halstead, which celebrated its centenary in 2023. In 1923 Samuel Augustine Courtauld built twenty almshouses on the site of the former Halstead Workhouse. The concise history of the Workhouse, its demolition and the Halstead Board of Guardians has therefore been included. A biography of the founder and his other generous benefactions are outlined. The wonderful architecture, the construction of the homes and one hundred year history has been detailed together with the gardens, grounds, allotments, spinney and meadow. The personalities comprising the trustees, chairmen and clerks, are the subject of brief biographies. Importantly, the residents who occupy the homes and the contractors who maintain them have not been forgotten.
104 pages, including many illustrations, many in colour, A4 format
£15.00
P&P: UK £2.70
Cheques in English pounds sterling please payable to: 'Adrian Corder-Birch'.