Thaxted derives from the Old English thoec or þæc combined with stede, being a "place where thatching materials are got" and indeed even today the town is bristling with thatch and many coloured pargetting.
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| Wayside Cottage - with infra-red filter |
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| Church Steeple and nearby thatched cottage |
John guided us round a pleasant varied and comfortably brief route of 4-5 miles which included passing the remains of the Elsenham and Thaxted Light Railway (opened 1913, closed in 1953 and currently having its remaining loco shed and water tower renovated as a private dwelling.
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| Loco shed and water tower c1951 |
Loco shed and water tower 2023
We had a very good value lunch at The Swan, which is opposite the impressive church and just up the road from the famous Guildhall.
