# Brundall

Brundall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Brundall is located 4.8 miles (7.7 km) west of Acle and 5.7 miles (9.2 km) east of Norwich.

## History

Brundall's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and likely derives from the Old English for a small area of dry land with an abundance of broom.
In the Domesday Book, Brundall is recorded as a settlement of 70 households in the hundred of Blofield. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of King William, Bishop William of Thetford and Gilbert the Bowman.
In 1874, Brundall was the location of the Thorpe rail accident, a major head-on collision between two railway locomotives which resulted in the deaths of 25 people.
In 1898, the boatbuilder, Brooms of Brundall, was established. This company has built high quality watercraft and operated water tours on the Broads for over one hundred years and is still in operation.
Listed buildings within Brundall include Old Beams (Seventeenth Century), The Gables (c.1746), Braydeston Cottage (Seventeenth Century), the Manor House (Seventeenth Century) and Manor Farm Garage (Seventeenth Century). There is also a Grade II listed signal box which was built by Great Eastern Railways in 1883.
In 1961, a Royal Observer Corps post was built in Brundall in preparation for a possible nuclear attack. The post was closed and locked in 1991.

## Geography

According to the 2021 census, Brundall has a population of 4,388 people which shows an increase from the 4,019 people recorded in the 2011 census.
Brundall is located on the north-bank of the River Yare. As in other Broadland villages, the land lying directly adjacent to the river falls into the executive area of the Broads Authority.
Amenities within Brundall include Brundall Coffee Shop, New World Chinese Takeaway, a Co-op Supermarket, Bay Leaf Indian Restaurant and a fish and chip shop. There is also a Shell Fuel Garage and a McDonald's Restaurant close to the A47.

## Transport

The village is served by two railway stations on the Wherry Lines: Brundall and Brundall Gardens. There are regular services between Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Norwich, which are operated by Greater Anglia.
First Eastern Counties provides regular bus services to Norwich, Blofield Heath, Silfield and Lingwood on the Green Line routes.
The A47, between Birmingham and Lowestoft, runs through the parish.

## St. Laurence's Church

Brundall's parish church is dedicated to Saint Lawrence and dates from the Thirteenth Century. St. Laurence's is located on Church Lane and has been Grade II listed since 1962. The church's lychgate serves as a memorial to local men who died in the First World War whilst inside there is a surviving Medieval, lead font- which is reported to be the only lead font in East Anglia. The church also boasts stained-glass designed by Clayton and Bell and Charles Eamer Kempe.

## Notable Reople

* Dr. Henry William Evans MC- (1890-1927) athlete, rugby player and surgeon, General Practitioner in Brundall.
* Herbert Woods- (1891-1954) boat builder, born in Brundall.
* Robert Blake, Baron Blake- (1916-2003) historian, born and died in Brundall.
* Robert Ashton- (1924-2013) historian, lived in Brundall.
* John Carter- (b.1963) Norfolk and Leicestershire cricketer, born in Brundall.
* Sam Clemmett- (b.1993) actor, born in Brundall.
* Bruce Rushin- art teacher and coin designer, lived in Brundall.

## War Memorial

Brundall's war memorials are a brass plaque and stained-glass window commemorating the First World War with a further marble plaque for the Second World War. The memorials list the following names for the First World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
| 2Lt. | Walter H. Benn | 7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 2 Aug. 1917 | British Cemetery, Monchy-Breton |
| SLt. | Claude C. Sennitt | 7th (Hood) Bn., Royal Naval Division | 23 Apr. 1917 | Communal Cemetery, Aubigny |
| Cpl. | James H. Harper | 333rd (Siege) Bty., Royal Garrison Artillery | 23 Mar. 1918 | British Cemetery, Grévillers |
| Pte. | Richard R. Minns | 8th Bn., Border Regiment | 23 Apr. 1918 | Communal Cemetery, Linselles |
| Pte. | James Holsworth | 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment | 4 Jun. 1916 | Faubourg Cemetery, Arras |
| Pte. | Herbert Smith | 7th Bn., Norfolk Rgt. | 27 Mar. 1918 | Pozières Memorial |
| Pte. | Frank Smith | 8th Bn., Norfolk Rgt. | 19 Jul. 1916 | Thiepval Memorial |
And, the following for the Second World War:
| Rank | Name | Unit | Date of Death | Burial |
| Lt. | Austin S. Carruthers | Royal Army Medical Corps | 1 Aug. 1945 | Bhowanipore Cemetery |
| PO | Sidney C. Braybrooks | No. 224 Squadron RAF | 2 May 1941 | Runnymede Memorial |
| PO | John H. Braybrooks | Royal Air Force | 17 Mar. 1942 | St. Laurence's Churchyard, Brundall |
| LAC | E. R. John Spooner | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve | 1 Sep. 1942 | Oakwood Cemetery, Montgomery |
| Sgt. | John R. Mace | No. 158 Squadron RAF | 14 Feb. 1943 | New Cemetery, North Walsham |
| Sgt. | Wilfred Jaques | 196 Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps | 10 Jun. 1943 | Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery |
| AS | George W. Moorby | S.S. Glenlea | 7 Nov. 1942 | Tower Hill Memorial |
| Pte. | Percy J. Horner | 4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment | 24 Aug. 1943 | Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery |
| Pte. | Stanley C. Cork | 5th Bn., Royal Norfolks | 13 Jun. 1943 | Kanchanaburi War Cemetery |