[4] For some years, the Battlesbridge Rural Theatre staged outdoor shows with proceeds going to local charities.

There is a reference to Batailesbregge in 1351, in connection with the family of Reginald Battaille, and this seems to be the most likely explanation,[5] although Newton suggests that it cannot be completely ruled out that it derives from Botuluesbrige, linking it to St Botolph, the seventh-century patron saint of wayfarers.

By 1777, there were a number of farmstead scattered along the north bank of the river, while the area to the south was unenclosed marshland.

By the late 19th century, there were mills, farms, coal yards, lime kilns and maltings.

Wharves on both sides of the river enabled boats to be loaded with flour and hay for animal bedding, with incoming cargoes of coal.

In 1765, local people from the parish of Rettendon petitioned the Lord of the Manor, Thomas Fitch of Danbury, for permission to build a mill on the north bank of the river.

When it was built, the mill was situated on the south bank, and was therefore in the parish of Rawreth, where St John’s College, Cambridge acted as Lord of the Manor.

The college issued a licence to Edward Building of Moulsham on 3 March 1766 to allow its construction, but because it was necessary to place stakes, piles and boards on the north bank of the river as part of the dam, some negotiation was required with Thomas Finch, and the miller had to pay Finch £5 four times a year.

[18] The grade II listed building that remains is built of bricks and dates from the late 18th century.

[19] The granary and drying kiln is located slightly further upstream, and was built of red brick in the early 19th century.

[20] The owner of the mill restored the tide gates in 1989 and used a new water wheel to drive an electrical generator.

[21] For a number of years, the Battlesbridge Rural Theatre put on shows, with proceeds going to local charities.

Shows that have been staged include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Lark Rise to Candleford, The Wind in the Willows, Treasure Island and The Importance of Being Earnest.

The Barge Inn is near to the bridge, and occupies a grade II listed timber-framed and weatherboarded building dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.

[26] The adjacent church hall provides a meeting space within the village, but it is a temporary building of poor quality.

[27] There is a small motorcycle museum, housing a collection of vintage and classic motorbikes, as well as assorted memorabilia.