Bradenham is a village and civil parish, a conglomeration of East and West Bradenham, in the English county of Norfolk.

Bradenham
St Mary's Church, now redundant
Bradenham is located in Norfolk
Bradenham
Bradenham
Location within Norfolk
Area16.55 km2 (6.39 sq mi)
Population695 (2021 census)
• Density42/km2 (110/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTF 9208
Civil parish
  • Bradenham
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townThetford
Postcode districtIP25
Dialling code01362/01760
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°38′24″N 0°50′38″E / 52.640°N 0.844°E / 52.640; 0.844

Bradenham is situated some 5 miles (8.0 km) south-west of the town of Dereham and 19 miles (31 km) west of the city of Norwich.[1]

History

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Bracon Ash's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a 'broad or spacious village.[2]

In the Domesday Book, Bradenham is recorded as a settlement of 53 households in the hundred of Greenhoe. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of William de Warenne, Ralph of Tosny and Ralph Baynard.[3]

Huntingfield Hall Farmhouse, just off Mill Street, dates from the Sixteenth Century and has been Grade II listed since 1951.[4]

In the Mid-Eighteenth Century, West Bradenham Hall was built. It was owned by the Haggard family and was the birthplace of H. Rider Haggard, it is also rumoured that Admiral Nelson stayed at the house.[5]

During the Second World War, a decoy airfield was built in the village.[6]

Geography

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According to the 2021 census, Bradenham has a population of 695 people which shows a slight decrease from the 700 people recorded in the 2011 census.[7]

The River Wissey rises in Bradenham and flows to the west whilst the River Yare rises to the east of Bradenham and flows to the east.

Amenities within the village include George Tufts & Son Ltd., a builder's merchants.[8]

St. Andrew's Church

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West Bradenham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew and located on Church Lane. The church is early Medieval in origin and features stained-glass windows depicting the Gospels by the O'Connor Brothers and an east window depicting the Crucifixion of Christ by William Wailes.[9] The church has been Grade I listed since 1960.[10]

St. Mary's Church

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East Bradenham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary and is located on Church Street. St. Mary's has been redundant since 1973 and features small amounts of stained glass designed by the O'Connor Brothers.[11] The church has been Grade I listed since 1960.[12]

Notable Residents

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Governance

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Bradenham is part of the electoral ward of Saham Toney for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.

The village's national constituency is Mid Norfolk which has been represented by the Conservative's George Freeman since 2010.

War Memorial

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West Bradenham's War Memorial takes the form of a small marble plaque in St. Mary's Church[13] whilst East Bradenham's takes the form of a larger marble plaque in St. Andrew's Church.[14] Combined, the memorials list the following men from the First World War:

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Other Commemoration / Burial
Capt. R. Lancelot Haggard No. 3 Company, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry 30 October 1917 British Cemetery, Passendale
Capt. Mark Haggard 2nd Battalion, Welch Regiment 15 September 1914 British Cemetery, Vendresse
Cpl. Edward Dack 21st (Eastern Ontario) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force 9 April 1917 Lichfield Crater, Thélus
Dvr. Walter Barnard 2nd (Depot) Company, Army Service Corps 21 February 1915 Greenwich Cemetery
Gnr. John R. E. Wheals 121st (Heavy) Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery 2 October 1917 Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
Pvt. Allen Fawkes 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment 1 July 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pvt. John T. Cater 7th Battalion, Border Regiment 4 November 1916 Grove Town Cemetery, Méaulte
Pvt. Herbert Thacker 8th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment 17 March 1916 St. Pierre Cemetery, Amiens
Pvt. Edward Coppen 2/6th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers 9 October 1917 Tyne Cot
Pvt. Alfred Fawkes 2nd Battalion, Norfolk Regiment 6 May 1916 Kirkee Memorial
Pvt. Ernest E. Buckenham 1/4th Battalion, Norfolk Rgt. 19 April 1917 Jerusalem Memorial
Pvt. George Buckenham 7th Battalion, Norfolk Rgt. 5 November 1915 Loos Memorial
Pvt. Sidney Coppen 11th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters 19 October 1917 Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
Rfn. George Stebbings 9th (Queen Victoria's Rifles) Battalion, London Regiment 9 October 1916 Thiepval Memorial

And: Stephen Basham, William Brown, John Tarrant, Frederick Cooper, Herbert Dack, James Fawkes, George Papworth, William Spilman and Robert Watts.

References

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  1. ^ Ordnance Survey (1999). OS Explorer Map 237 – Norwich. ISBN 0-319-21868-6.
  2. ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  3. ^ "[East and West] Bradenham | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  4. ^ "HUNTINGFIELD HALL FARMHOUSE, Bradenham - 1342619 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  5. ^ "mnf8718 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  6. ^ "mnf13552 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Bradenham (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  8. ^ "George Tufts & Son Ltd | Bradenham, Norfolk". George Tufts & Son Ltd. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  10. ^ "CHURCH OF ST ANDREW, Bradenham - 1342620 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  12. ^ "CHURCH OF ST MARY, Bradenham - 1151958 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  13. ^ "War Memorial , West Bradenham, Norfolk, England: memorial indexed by Gravestone Photographic Resource Project (GPR)". www.gravestonephotos.com. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  14. ^ Knott, Simon (22 July 2007), war memorial, retrieved 11 November 2024
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