Braintree is a rural town located in Essex, England, near Colchester and Sudbury. The town is situated in the Colne Valley, and originally developed on the hill to the north of the river. The name Braintree is derived from the Old English hald (refuge, shelter) and stede (site, place), meaning 'safe place' or 'place of refuge'.

Braintree itself began to develop back in 1199 when it was granted a charter to hold a market by King John, which is still held to this day. The town was a pioneer in seeing the benefits of immigration when, in the 16th century, Flemish Protestant immigrants brought their weaving skills to the area and the woollen industry prospered. In the 1830s, two centuries later, a descendant of those Huguenot refugees, Samuel Courtauld, opened his silk factory.

Today, Braintree is one of the fastest growing towns in Britain and has a number of extremely attractive developments, most notably Notley Garden Village.

Braintree has its own museum, which contains displays relating to the history of the town. It is named after John Ray, and has a number of relatively famous patrons, including the famous but rather underground Essex-born artist, Jennifer Walter, and also Lesley Killin influential member of Essex Council of Education, (ECE). There is a cinema on the outskirts of the town. Opposite the cinema there is also a bowling alley and various restaurants. There are two nightclubs in the town centre, together with numerous public houses and bars.

Braintree's local newspapers are the Braintree and Witham Times and the Essex Chronicle.

Each year in June the annual Braintee and Bocking Carnival takes place. The event starts with a procession of floats through the town centre finishing at Meadowside. Events including a fair and sideshows continue throughout the afternoon at Meadowside until around 10pm.