THE Dutch Quarter is one of the oldest parts of Colchester. Just off the High Street, it mainly includes a series of core streets including Maidenburgh Street, West Stockwell Street, East Stockwell Street, Stockwell Street, St Helen’s Lane, Northgate Street and Nunn’s Road. It took its current name in the 16th Century when Flemish Protestant refugees fled religious persecution and made their way to north Essex. They had been defeated during a rebellion against Catholic Spain. Many of the houses were actually built before the Dutch arrived. Having fallen into disrepair in the early part of the 20th Century, it was the subject of a major regeneration in the 1970s.