Layer de la Haye is an ancient village with its roots in Saxon times. Today we are a thriving community with a 12th century church, two shops, a primary school, a large village hall, a doctors’ surgery and several open spaces.
Colchester lies about 1.5 miles north of the village with a green corridor between us and the town; this corridor contains the Roman River, which is an ancient waterway and is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Abberton Reservoir is to the south of the village. This is home to an award-winning nature reserve and wild-bird centre managed by Essex Wildlife Trust.
We have approximately 2,700 residents and about 750 homes. These are spread out over two main centres and along the two principal routes through the village.
Our village organisations provide activities for all ages and interests, including JB Tots for young mums and their babies, a men’s lunch club, Secret Layer and Layer Ladies, as well as several youth organisations. Layer Colts is a very active football club for all youngsters between 4 and 18. Our Primary School is very popular and is seen as one of the better schools in the area.
Our village hall was extensively renovated a few years ago, with our much-loved ‘Old Hall’ being replaced by a modern Annex, which we hope will last for many years to come. The hall is in regular use every day of the week and is a hub for many village activities. We also have a multi-sports court which is currently used for football and tennis. We hold occasional fetes on our Recreation Field and have many social and entertainment evenings in the village hall.
Civil Parish of Layer de la Haye 