FROM surveying swimming pools in their trunks to examining Townsford Mill, the first ever estate agent in town has seen it all.

David Oswick set up an estate agent in his name 50 years ago in Head Street, Halstead.

The estate agent has remained there to this day and Phil Woolston, one of the new partners, said business has come far.

He said: "David Oswick passed away in 2012 and my business partner Damian Lockley contacted me, we set up Oswick Ltd as a partnership.

"It's a competitive market and with the rise of the internet traditional estate agents have changed.

"Because we offer a range of services including surveying, and are an agent people can come back to, our face to face advice is valued."

He said what he found most interesting was the varied workload and the different type of people he met.

He said: "Now we are able to do anything, I was asked to do a survey of a swimming pool and had my trunks out ready.

"It's a nice town, it's deceiving how many properties there are in Halstead.

"I like it down by the mill, it's really picturesque, and the High Street has got a lot of interesting Grade II listed buildings.

"It's a lovely, traditional market town."

The estate agent is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is due to create a new website and employ more staff.