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Bridgham

Coordinates: 52°25′N 0°52′E / 52.42°N 00.86°E / 52.42; 00.86
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the American politician, see Samuel W. Bridgham.
Bridgham
Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Bridgham
Bridgham is located in Norfolk
Bridgham
Bridgham
Location within Norfolk
Area11.06 km2 (4.27 sq mi)
Population373 (2021)
• Density34/km2 (88/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTL9585
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNORWICH
Postcode districtNR16
Dialling code01953
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°25′N 0°52′E / 52.42°N 00.86°E / 52.42; 00.86

Bridgham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.

Bridgham is located 6.2 miles (10.0 km) north-east of Thetford and 22 miles (35 km) south-west of Norwich.

History

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Bridgham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for a homestead/village by a bridge.[1]

In the Domesday Book, Bridgham is recorded as a settlement of 11 households in the hundred of Shropham. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of St. Etheldreda's Abbey in Ely.[2]

Listed buildings within Bridgham include Orchard Cottage (Eighteenth Century)[3], Red House (Seventeenth Century)[4] with accompanying outbuildings[5], the Old School House (Eighteenth Century)[6] and The Rectory (c.1770).[7]

In 1940 during the Second World War, a concrete pillbox was built in Bridgham as part of the defences against a possible German invasion.[8]

Geography

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According to the 2021 census, Bridgham has a population of 373 people which shows a slight increase from the 335 people recorded in the 2011 census.[9]

The course of the River Thet runs through the parish.

Church of St. Mary

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Bridgham's parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary and dates from the Fourteenth Century. The church has been Grade II listed since 1958.[10] The church boasts a carved chalk font as well as stained-glass designed by A. L. Moore in 1900.[11]

Governance

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Bridgham is part of the electoral ward of Harling & Heathlands for local elections and is part of the district of Breckland.

The village's national constituency is South West Norfolk which has been represented by Labour's Terry Jermy since 2024.

War Memorial

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Bridgham's war memorial is granite, stone cross located in St. Mary's Churchyard. It was erected in 1920 and has been Grade II listed since 2018.[12] It lists the following names for the First World War:[13]

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Other Commemoration / Burial
St1C George W. Stubbs HMS Russell 27 Apr. 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
LCpl. William Kenny 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment 9 Jul. 1915 Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne
LCpl. William R. Waller 6th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment 4 Nov. 1918 Communal Cemetery, Preux-au-Bois
LCpl. Ralph E. Downes 1st Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment 23 Apr. 1917 Arras Memorial
Pte. A. Stanley Oakley 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment 27 Jul. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. Albert W. Greengrass 1st Bn., Norfolk Rgt. 27 Jul. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. Frederick G. Large 1/4th Battalion, Norfolk Rgt. 26 Aug. 1915 St. Mary's Churchyard, Bridgham
Pte. George Smith 8th Battalion, Norfolk Rgt. 19 Jul. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. E. Arthur Holmes 8th Bn., Norfolk Rgt. 17 Feb. 1917 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. Albert D. Hubbard 8th Bn., Norfolk Rgt. 28 Sep. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. Ernest A. Meek 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment 24 Sep. 1918 Communal Cemetery, Berteaucourt

And: J. Paul, A. Shaw, P. Shaw, J. Shaw, J. Ward, E. A. Holmes, W. Keeble, A. R. Kemp, E. C. W. Garnham.

The memorial also lists the name of Pte. Walter David Odey of 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment who was killed on 25 October 1947 fighting in the 1947-48 Palestinian Civil War. He is buried in the Khayat Beach War Cemetery, Haifa and left behind a wife, Rubie.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Bridgham | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  3. ^ "ORCHARD COTTAGE, Bridgham - 1306056 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  4. ^ "THE RED HOUSE, Bridgham - 1306061 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  5. ^ "OUTBUILDINGS IN YARD OF THE RED HOUSE, Bridgham - 1076912 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  6. ^ "OLD SCHOOL HOUSE, Bridgham - 1076911 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  7. ^ "THE RECTORY, Bridgham - 1342785 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  8. ^ "MNF32705 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer". www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Bridgham (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  10. ^ "CHURCH OF ST MARY, Bridgham - 1076909 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  12. ^ "Bridgham War Memorial, Bridgham - 1456189 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Bridgham with Roudham". www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  14. ^ "Roll of Honour - Databases - Palestine 1945-1948 - British Casualties - Search Results". www.roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
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Media related to Bridgham at Wikimedia Commons

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