Coggeshall is a small town of 4,727 residents in Essex, England, between Colchester and Braintree on the Roman road of Stane Street, and intersected by the River Blackwater. Although Coggeshall has a market and is a market town, the vast majority of the “villagers”, some of whom are third or fourth generation Coggeshall, insist on referring to it as a village. The population increased to 4,727 at the 2011 Census. It is known for its almost 300 listed buildings and formerly extensive antique trade.

A market has been run every week on Market Hill since 1256 when a charter to do so was granted by Henry III. Coggeshall won the Essex Best Kept Village award in its category in 1998 and 2001–03; it was named Eastern England & Home Counties Village of the Year in 2003. Official brown coloured sightseeing/tourist road signs on the entry to the town from the A120 road still show Coggeshall as “Village of the Year”.