Hastingwood is a hamlet in the North Weald Bassett civil parish of the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. The hamlet is centred on the junction of Hastingwood Road, which runs southwest to the A414 road and the Hastingwood Junction 7 of the M11 motorway, and Mill Street, which runs north to Harlow Common and Potter Street. Nearby settlements include the town of Harlow, North Weald and the hamlet of Foster Street. History The earliest records of Hastingwood originate from 1086 when the Paris Hall estate was founded. The remains of the estate lie on Hastingwood Road, with the mansion house dating from the 1500s still standing and given Grade II protection in 1952. It is surrounded by various ancient farms such as Canes Farm and Newhouse Farm. It was part of the Harlow Hundred and made up of this area. In 1520, Hastingwood was formerly listed as 'Hazelwood' due to its proximity to a local copse of hazel trees in the Paris Hall estate. It was renamed Hastingwood in around the 1700s. The village served as Oliver Cromwell's armoury during the English Civil War in 1645. Hastingwood has large flint deposits which were utilised in the production of weaponry and armour. During this period the main estate of Paris Hall was rebuilt (1600). Since 1777 the village has undergone expansion. The majority of the growth in Hastingwood centred around the common on Hastingwood Road. In this period Hastingwood Farm (currently the Rainbow and Dove) was erected as a timber framed farmhouse. There was further building development in the 19th century. Hastingwood House was erected in 1840 as a large gault brick house with farming rights. The inclosure of the common in 1861 resulted in further building development. Hastingwood established its first church in 1864 as a chapel of ease. This was part of a process of decentralising the parish, distributing the population towards the areas of Thornwood and Hastingwood. Hastingwood Farm was renamed 'The Rainbow Inn' (after the name of the owner) and became used as a stop for travellers with their horses between Cambridge and London. The further renaming of the inn to 'The Rainbow and Dove' came after travellers noticed a topiary bird, they believed was a dove, on the grounds of the inn. In the 20th century, the population expanded slightly up until the 1920s and plateaued until 1945, after-which, in the post-Second World War period,