| Static Image Name: | St Mary's church - geograph.org.uk - 709930.jpg |
| Static Image Caption: | St Mary's Church, now redundant |
| Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 52.64°N 0.844°W |
| Official Name: | Bradenham |
| Population: | 695 |
| Population Ref: | (2021 census) |
| Area Total Km2: | 16.55 |
| Civil Parish: | Bradenham |
| Shire District: | Breckland |
| Shire County: | Norfolk |
| Region: | East of England |
| Constituency Westminster: | Mid Norfolk |
| Post Town: | Thetford |
| Postcode District: | IP25 |
| Postcode Area: | IP |
| Dial Code: | 01362/01760 |
| Os Grid Reference: | TF 9208 |
Bradenham is a village and civil parish, a conglomeration of East and West Bradenham, in the English county of Norfolk.
Bradenham is situated some 5miles south-west of the town of Dereham and 19miles west of the city of Norwich.[1]
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]
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]
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]
See main article: articles and St Mary's Church, East Bradenham. 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]
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.
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. Combined, the memorials list the following men from the First World War:
| 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 |