Brandiston

History

Brandiston's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin. In the Domesday Book it is recorded as a settlement of four households in the hundred of Eynesford. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of William the Conqueror.

Brandiston Hall was built in the 17th-century on the grounds of a medieval hospital, the hall was later expanded in the 19th-century. The still stands and has been Grade II listed since 1952. In the 1850s, four almshouses were built for the benefit of the parishioners. These were funded by the generous donations of a William Gurney almost three-hundred years earlier.

During the Second World War, RAF Swannington was built in the parish. Hawker Hurricanes of No. 85 Squadron RAF and de Havilland Mosquitos of No. 157 Squadron RAF were based at the airfield. The aircraft fell into disuse after the war and was eventually sold in 1957, mostly returning to agricultural use.

Church

Main article: St Nicholas Church, Brandiston

Brandiston's parish church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and is one of Norfolk's remaining 124 round-tower churches. The church dates from the 12th-century, although it was re-modelled in the 14th-century and later restored by Edward Blore in 1844 at the behest of the local Athill family. Within the church is a stained-glass window designed by the Percy Bacon Brothers. The building is Grade II listed. Today, the church is maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust.

Governance

Brandiston is part of the electoral ward of Great Witchingham for local elections and is part of the district of Broadland. It is part of the Broadland and Fakenham parliamentary constituency.

References

References

1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170211032229/https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/groups/public/documents/general_resources/ncc017867.xls Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes]. Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Retrieved 20 June 2009.
2. [https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?TNF144 Parish Summary: Brandiston], Norfolk Heritage Explorer. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
3. "Key to English Place-names".
4. "Brandiston {{!}} Domesday Book".
5. "mnf7439 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer".
6. "BRANDISTON HALL, Brandiston - 1169085 {{!}} Historic England".
7. Matthews, D. (2000). Retrieved November 9, 2022. http://www.origins.org.uk/genuki/NFK/places/b/brandiston/white1883.shtml
8. "mnf7465 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer".
9. "Norfolk Churches".
10. "CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS, Brandiston - 1076897 {{!}} Historic England".
11. Knott S (2021) [http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/brandiston/brandiston.htm St Nicholas, Brandiston], Norfolk Churches. Retrieved 9 November 2022.