Brandon, Suffolk
Encyclopedia
Brandon is a small town
and civil parish
in the English
county of Suffolk
. It is in the Forest Heath
local government district.
Brandon is located in the Breckland
area on the border of Suffolk with the adjoining county of Norfolk
. Surrounded by Forestry Commission
and agricultural land it is still considered a rural town, although there is an RAF air base on lease to USAF, Lakenheath
, just a mile or so away.
(The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names) the meaning of the name is 'Hill where broom grows'.
The Domesday Book
records the population of Brandon in 1086 to be 25.
From prehistoric times the area was mined for flint
as can be seen at Grimes Graves
, a popular Brandon tourist destination. Much more recently, the town was a major centre for the production of gunflints.
In medieval times and beyond Brandon was also renowned for its rabbit fur.
On 14 May 1789, the town suffered a Great Fire, a report of which can be found in the Brandon Heritage Centre. While all the young men were away at a fair day in nearby Thetford
, a fire caused by a lightning strike set fire to the surgeon's house which quickly spread to the surrounding properties. 11 houses were damaged, with 8 of them being completely destroyed. The hardest hit was Francis Diggon, the Saddler, who lost all of his property and possessions, costing a total of 381 pounds, 2 shillings
The town's current population is recorded as 8,749 people in the United Kingdom Census 2001
and has three schools; two primary, Forest Academy and Glade Primary School; and one middle school, Breckland Middle School.
On the town's doorstep is the hugely popular High Lodge tourist attraction, that draws in many cyclists and day trip families.
Brandon has a small market every Thursday and Saturday with many little shops and cafes in the town. You can watch over the Market Square and High Street by viewing the Brandon Webcams.
Brandon's population has steadily increased since the Second World War due to immigration. After the war there was an influx of servicemen from Poland
who settled in the town and also in nearby Weeting
, Norfolk
. The Cold War
saw many American service people and their families billeted in and around the town. The Greater London Council
oversaw the building of a large Council estate off Thetford Road and Bury Road in the 1970s and many London
families were relocated to Brandon during that time. Following the relaxation of national borders within the European Community there has been an influx of migrant worker
s from countries such as Portugal, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
A new three-story Health Centre, at a cost of £6.5m, is planned just off Bury Road which will house both GP surgeries, library, café, toilets, pharmacy, hall, meeting rooms, midwives, nurses, health visitors and alternative therapists.
Brandon also has a lawn bowls club, which plays outdoors in the summer, and indoors in the winter. They are based at the Brandon Leisure Centre. The leisure centre, run by Anglia Community Leisure, also offers badminton, squash, tennis, an indoor 5 a-side hall and an outdoor 6 a-side pitch.
. It often suffers severe congestion due to large amounts of commuter traffic, holiday traffic travelling to the Norfolk
Coast and HGVs. Several bus routes and National Express
coach services pass through the town as well.
Brandon railway station
has an hourly service to Cambridge
and Ely
to the West and to Thetford
and Norwich
in the East.
The town also has Tesco
and Aldi
Supermarkets.
The town has an eight lane bowling alley, which includes a 200 seater restaurant.
Brandon also features a monument to the 7th Armoured Division
There are many places to drink in Brandon, Pubs: The Duke of Wellington, Five Bells, The Flintknappers, The One Bell, The White Horse and The Crown. Clubs: British Legion, Sports & Social Club, Brandon Leisure Centre. Hotels: The Great Eastern, Brandon House and The Ram.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. It is in the Forest Heath
Forest Heath
Forest Heath is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council is based in Mildenhall. Other towns in the district include Newmarket....
local government district.
Brandon is located in the Breckland
Breckland
The Breckland as a landscape region is an unusual natural habitat of England. It comprises the gorse-covered sandy heath that exists in the north of the county of Suffolk and the south of Norfolk. An area of considerable interest for its unusual flora and fauna, it lies to the south east of another...
area on the border of Suffolk with the adjoining county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Surrounded by Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
and agricultural land it is still considered a rural town, although there is an RAF air base on lease to USAF, Lakenheath
Lakenheath
Lakenheath is a village in Suffolk, England. It has around 8,200 residents, and is situated in the Forest Heath district of Suffolk, close to the county boundaries of both Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, and at the meeting point of the The Fens and the Breckland natural environments.Lakenheath is host...
, just a mile or so away.
History
According to Eilert EkwallEilert Ekwall
Bror Oscar Eilert Ekwall , known as Eilert Ekwall, was Professor of English at Lund University, Sweden, from 1909 to 1942, and one of the outstanding scholars of the English language of the first half of the 20th century...
(The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names) the meaning of the name is 'Hill where broom grows'.
The Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
records the population of Brandon in 1086 to be 25.
From prehistoric times the area was mined for flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
as can be seen at Grimes Graves
Grimes Graves
Grime's Graves is a large Neolithic flint mining complex near Brandon in England close to the border between Norfolk and Suffolk. It was worked between around circa 3000 BC and circa 1900 BC, although production may have continued well into the Bronze and Iron Ages owing to the low cost of flint...
, a popular Brandon tourist destination. Much more recently, the town was a major centre for the production of gunflints.
In medieval times and beyond Brandon was also renowned for its rabbit fur.
On 14 May 1789, the town suffered a Great Fire, a report of which can be found in the Brandon Heritage Centre. While all the young men were away at a fair day in nearby Thetford
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
, a fire caused by a lightning strike set fire to the surgeon's house which quickly spread to the surrounding properties. 11 houses were damaged, with 8 of them being completely destroyed. The hardest hit was Francis Diggon, the Saddler, who lost all of his property and possessions, costing a total of 381 pounds, 2 shillings
Present day
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
and has three schools; two primary, Forest Academy and Glade Primary School; and one middle school, Breckland Middle School.
On the town's doorstep is the hugely popular High Lodge tourist attraction, that draws in many cyclists and day trip families.
Brandon has a small market every Thursday and Saturday with many little shops and cafes in the town. You can watch over the Market Square and High Street by viewing the Brandon Webcams.
Brandon's population has steadily increased since the Second World War due to immigration. After the war there was an influx of servicemen from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
who settled in the town and also in nearby Weeting
Weeting
Weeting is a village in Norfolk, England.Its church, St. Mary, stands close to Weeting Castle, and is one of 124 existing round-tower churches in Norfolk.During the 1920s and 1930s, Weeting housed a Ministry of Labour work camp...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
saw many American service people and their families billeted in and around the town. The Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
oversaw the building of a large Council estate off Thetford Road and Bury Road in the 1970s and many London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
families were relocated to Brandon during that time. Following the relaxation of national borders within the European Community there has been an influx of migrant worker
Migrant worker
The term migrant worker has different official meanings and connotations in different parts of the world. The United Nations' definition is broad, including any people working outside of their home country...
s from countries such as Portugal, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
A new three-story Health Centre, at a cost of £6.5m, is planned just off Bury Road which will house both GP surgeries, library, café, toilets, pharmacy, hall, meeting rooms, midwives, nurses, health visitors and alternative therapists.
Sport
Brandon has a thriving football junior club for ages 5 years up to under 16. The Brandon Lads and Lasses A.F.C has squads of boys and girls competing in the Ipswich & Suffolk Youth League, South Norfolk Youth League, Mid Norfolk Youth League.Brandon also has a lawn bowls club, which plays outdoors in the summer, and indoors in the winter. They are based at the Brandon Leisure Centre. The leisure centre, run by Anglia Community Leisure, also offers badminton, squash, tennis, an indoor 5 a-side hall and an outdoor 6 a-side pitch.
Transport
Brandon is situated on the A1065 Mildenhall to Fakenham roadA1065 road
The A1065 is a main road in the English region of East Anglia. It provides the principal road connection to parts of the west and north of the county of Norfolk from Newmarket and points south of there, including London...
. It often suffers severe congestion due to large amounts of commuter traffic, holiday traffic travelling to the Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
Coast and HGVs. Several bus routes and National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
coach services pass through the town as well.
Brandon railway station
Brandon railway station
Brandon railway station serves the town of Brandon in Suffolk, England, although the station is actually situated across the county boundary in Norfolk. The station is managed by National Express East Anglia, which provides services east to Thetford, Attleborough, Wymondham and Norwich, and west...
has an hourly service to Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
to the West and to Thetford
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
and Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
in the East.
Other
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
and Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
Supermarkets.
The town has an eight lane bowling alley, which includes a 200 seater restaurant.
Brandon also features a monument to the 7th Armoured Division
There are many places to drink in Brandon, Pubs: The Duke of Wellington, Five Bells, The Flintknappers, The One Bell, The White Horse and The Crown. Clubs: British Legion, Sports & Social Club, Brandon Leisure Centre. Hotels: The Great Eastern, Brandon House and The Ram.