Helions Bumpstead

Helion Bumpstead's manor house is on a hill facing due east; the church is on a small mound less than half a mile away. In the seventeenth and eighteenth century the lords of the manor were the Reynolds family, which produced several distinguished politicians and judges. The De Havilland Mosquito, one of the most famous aeroplanes of the Second World War, was tested on the airfield near Castle Camps. As of the early 2020s, many of the hangars in which the planes were constructed were still standing.

The main defining features of the village are the village post office, the village hall, the Three Horseshoes Public House and St Andrew's Church; the village is in the Diocese of Chelmsford and shares its priest with St Mary's, Steeple Bumpstead. There is also a Gospel Hall in the village. The church has a ring of 8 bells. The Three Horseshoes Public House was purchased by the community in March 2019 through a community share offer managed by the Helions Bumpstead Community Benefit Society. The pub underwent refurbishment and operated initially for the benefit of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic as a shop and then for Friday evening openings run by volunteers. In December 2021…