# Bradwell, Norfolk

Bradwell is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is immediately to the west of, and largely indistinguishable from, the built-up urban area of the town of Great Yarmouth.

## History

Bradwell's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a 'broad spring or stream.'
Bradwell is not featured in the Domesday Book.
There are numerous listed farm buildings in Bradwell. These include Bradwell Hall (Eighteenth Century) with an accompanying barn, Old Hall Farmhouse (Seventeenth Century) and Church Farmhouse (Eighteenth Century) with an accompanying barn.
During the Second World War, Bradwell was hit by several Luftwaffe air raids designed to hit Great Yarmouth, however, the craters from the bomb damage were filled in after 1945. There were also searchlight batteries and pillboxes built in Bradwell during the war.

## Geography

The civil parish has an area of 9.74 km$^2$ and according to the 2021 census, Bradwell has a population of 11,628 people which shows a large increase from the 10,528 people recorded in the 2011 census.
The A143, between Gorleston-on-Sea and Haverhill, bisects Bradwell.

## St. Nicholas' Church

Bradwell's parish church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, is located on Church Walk and is also one of the 185 surviving English Round-tower churches, built before the Norman Conquest. The church boasts a Fifteenth Century font which shows clear signs of an iconoclastic attack in the Seventeenth Century.

## Education

Bradwell's' schools include: Hillside Primary School, Homefield Church of England Primary and Nursery School, Lynn Grove Academy, Wroughton Academies and Woodlands Primary and Nursery School.

## Parish Council and Local Government

For the purposes of local government, the parish today falls within the district of Great Yarmouth. However prior to the Local Government Act 1972, the parish was within Lothingland Rural District in Suffolk.
Bradwell Parish Council has responsibility for a number of amenities within the village, and will make representations to the borough council, county council, police and others to secure improvements to services within the village. Its 'base' is the Leo Coles Pavilion, located on the Green Lane Playing Field site – its meetings take place there, and the clerk's office is situated there. The council publishes a twice-yearly newspaper, The Bradwellian, which is delivered to every household in Bradwell by a team of volunteers.

## Governance

Bradenham is part of the electoral ward of Lothingland for local elections and is part of the district of Great Yarmouth.
The village's national constituency is Great Yarmouth which has been represented by the Reform UK's Rupert Lowe since 2024.

## War memorial

Bradwell's War Memorial is an obelisk made from red granite located on Church Walk. It bears the following names for the First World War and the Russian Civil War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Other Commemoration / Burial |
| Maj. | Percy Wiltshire | 251st (Siege) Battalion, Royal Field Artillery | 25 May 1917 | British Cemetery, Avesnes |
| ST1 | Herbert J. Adams | HM Submarine L55 | 4 June 1919 | Haslar Naval Hospital Cemetery |
| L/Cpl. | Walter J. C. Moore | 1/5th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment | 19 April 1917 | Jerusalem Memorial |
| SH | John J. Amis | HM Trawler Nadine | 1 September 1915 | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| DH | Alfred C. Howes | HM Drifter Hilary II | 25 March 1916 | Chatham Memorial |
| DH | Robert J. Willis | HM Drifter Masterpiece | 10 May 1915 | New Cemetery, Larne |
| DH | Henry S. Parfitt | HM Trawler Jay | 11 August 1917 | Chatham Memorial |
| DH | George I. Bessey | HM Trawler Reserve | 27 February 1917 | Chatham Memorial |
| Dvr. | Ernest W. Shorten | Army Service Corps | 25 March 1919 | St. Nicholas' Churchyard, Bradwell |
| Pte. | Harry Delph | 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment | 15 December 1915 | Helles Memorial |
| Pte. | Harry C. Breeze | 34th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment | 13 May 1918 | Bagneux British Cemetery |
| Pte. | Frederick W. Chaplin | Queen's Royal Regiment | July 1919 | St. Nicholas' Churchyard, Bradwell |
| Pte. | Frederick C. Amis | 3rd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment | 10 July 1918 | St. Nicholas' Churchyard, Bradwell |
| Spr. | Roland J. Tubby | 4th (Provisional) Company, Royal Engineers | 4 May 1916 | St. Nicholas' Churchyard, Bradwell |
| Mr. | Arthur W. Bailey | HM Trawler Reserve | 22 January 1918 | St. Nicholas' Churchyard, Bradwell |
And, the following for the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Other Commemoration / Burial |
| F/Lt. | Roger Cook | No. 168 Squadron RAF | 3 January 1944 | Communal Cemetery, Cambrai |
| Lt. | Michael H. C. Bellamy | 2nd Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry | 13 October 1944 | War Cemetery, Overloon |
| Sgt. | William D. Palmer | No. 408 Squadron RCAF | 15 May 1942 | Churchyard, Tranebjerg |
| Sgt. | Roy C. Bailey | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve | 29 January 1945 | St. Nicholas' Churchyard, Bradwell |
| AB | John H. Cooper | HM Shore Installation Pembroke | 30 July 1943 | St. Nicholas' Churchyard, Bradwell |
| L/Cpl. | Robert A. Brown | 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment | 10 May 1940 | Communal Cemetery, Essars |
| Gnr. | Herbert W. Tubby | 4th (Maritime) Regiment, Royal Artillery | 21 April 1943 | Plymouth Naval Memorial |
| Gnr. | Charles A. Mace | 4th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery | 15 December 1940 | Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery |
| Gdsm. | Charles H. J. Marler | 3rd Battalion, Irish Guards | 1 October 1944 | Jonkerbos War Cemetery |
| Tpr. | Christopher J. O. Ball | Royal Armoured Corps | 12 September 1942 | Alamein Memorial |
| Mr. | Roland R. George | East Dudgeon Lightship | 29 January 1940 | Magdalen Cemetery, Gorleston-on-Sea |

## Notable residents

* Mervyn King, professional darts player.
* Sophie McKinna, British Olympic shot putter.