Brancaster

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Village in Norfolk, England

title: "Brancaster" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["brancaster", "villages-in-norfolk", "populated-coastal-places-in-norfolk", "civil-parishes-in-norfolk", "beaches-of-norfolk", "king's-lynn-and-west-norfolk"] description: "Village in Norfolk, England" topic_path: "general/brancaster" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brancaster" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Village in Norfolk, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]

FieldValue
countryEngland
static_image_nameSt Mary the Virgin Brancaster Norfolk.JPG
static_image_captionSt Mary the Virgin, Brancaster
coordinates
os_grid_referenceTF775438
official_nameBrancaster
population797
population_ref(2011)
area_total_km221.43
shire_districtKing's Lynn and West Norfolk
shire_countyNorfolk
regionEast of England
civil_parishBrancaster
constituency_westminsterNorth West Norfolk
postcode_districtPE31
postcode_areaPE
post_townKING'S LYNN
dial_code01485
::

| country = England | static_image_name = St Mary the Virgin Brancaster Norfolk.JPG | static_image_caption = St Mary the Virgin, Brancaster | coordinates = | os_grid_reference = TF775438 | official_name = Brancaster | population = 797 | population_ref = (2011) | area_total_km2 = 21.43 | shire_district = King's Lynn and West Norfolk | shire_county = Norfolk | region = East of England | civil_parish = Brancaster | constituency_westminster = North West Norfolk | postcode_district = PE31 | postcode_area = PE | post_town = KING'S LYNN | dial_code = 01485 | london_distance =

Brancaster is a village and civil parish on the north coast of the English county Norfolk. It is about 3 mi west of the town Burnham Market, 22 mi north of the town King's Lynn and 31 mi north-west of the city Norwich. The parish includes the villages Brancaster and Brancaster Staithe and the former parish Burnham Deepdale, all of which lie along the A149 road. The Roman settlement Branodunum is on the edge of the village Brancaster.

The parish has an area of 8.27 mi2 and at the 2011 census had a population of 797 in 406 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district King's Lynn and West Norfolk. It is on the North Sea coast, with the villages bordering Brancaster Manor marshes. Scolt Head Island, a barrier island designated as a National Nature Reserve within the neighbouring parish Burnham Norton, is immediately to the north of much the parish boundary.

History

Main article: Branodunum

The Roman fort and settlement Branodunum is immediately to the east of the modern village of Brancaster. Built in around CE 230 to protect the approaches to The Wash, it later became part of the network of Saxon Shore forts protecting Roman Britain from attack by raiding forces. The fort was originally built with a harbour. The Roman-period shoreline is now inland.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/SS_Vina,_The_Brancaster_Wreck.jpg" caption="The wreck of the SS ''Vina'' (2010)"] ::

The wreck of the coaster SS Vina, which was used for target practice by the Royal Air Force before accidentally sinking in 1944, is visible at low tide on sand dunes. The ship dragged her anchor on 20 August 1944 in a north-westerly gale and ran ashore.

During the 1950s and '60s, Brancaster was considered as a possible location for the launch site for the British space programme.

Geography

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/RWNGC_clubhouse_at_high_tide_-geograph.org.uk-_126695.jpg" caption="RWNGC clubhouse at high tide"] ::

The Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, founded in 1892, is located on the coastal section of the parish. The course was laid out by Horace Hutchinson, but due to the fragility of the coastline it has undergone many changes. At high tide the course can become an island, with parts of it inaccessible. In 2014 it was listed as the 47th best golf course in the UK and Ireland by Golf Monthly magazine.

Much of the coastal section of the parish, including Brancaster Manor marshes, are managed by the National Trust. The Norfolk Coast Path long distance footpath runs through the parish. A petrified forest can be seen on the foreshore near Brancaster at low tide, about 3/4 mi west of the golf clubhouse. It consists of material similar to compacted peat or lignite. Fragments wash ashore after storms. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Brancaster_Roman_Fort_in_Norfolk.jpg" caption="A [[lidar]] view of the site of Brancaster Roman fort"] ::

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward had a population at the 2011 census of 1,293.

Notable people

References

References

  1. "Civil parish population 2011".
  2. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/your/extra/space.shtml "Norfolk's place in the space race" BBC Norfolk] {{webarchive. link. (26 January 2005)
  3. (29 October 2002). "Classic Golf Hole Design: Using the Greatest Holes as Inspiration for Modern Courses". John Wiley & Sons.
  4. Lyall, Ian. (8 May 2014). "Explore the North Norfolk Coast". Lulu.com.
  5. (1 August 2020). "The best hole I ever played: This amazing par-5’s fairway is dictated by the tides". Golf Magazine.
  6. "Ward population 2011".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

brancastervillages-in-norfolkpopulated-coastal-places-in-norfolkcivil-parishes-in-norfolkbeaches-of-norfolkking's-lynn-and-west-norfolk