Wakes Colne is a scattered village on the north side of the river Colne, 8 miles (13 km) west-northwest of Colchester, and 5 miles (8 km) east-southeast of Halstead.

The village is relatively small but it does however have several amenities: most of which are shared with Chappel.

These include: While it is unclear when the area was first occupied, in 1086 it was recorded as having 25 residents and there is evidence of Roman settlement in the nearby area dating from a much earlier time period.

[5] The parish spent most of its history consisting of two main areas, separated by parts of Mount Bures and Chappel parishes, and four smaller detached areas, three in Chappel and one in White Colne which dated from the 16th century or earlier.

[5] Media related to Wakes Colne at Wikimedia Commons