Bridgham

For the American politician, see Samuel W. Bridgham.

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

Bridgham
Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Bridgham
Bridgham Location within Norfolk
Area	11.06 km2 (4.27 sq mi)
Population	373 (2021)
• Density	34/km2 (88/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TL9585
District	Breckland
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORWICH
Postcode district	NR16
Dialling code	01953
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	South West Norfolk
List of places UK England Norfolk 52.42°N 00.86°E / 52.42; 00.86

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

History

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 (18th century),^[3] Red House (17th century)^[4] with accompanying outbuildings,^[5] the Old School House (18th 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

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

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

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

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]