Bressingham

{{About|the village in Norfolk|the steam museum and garden centre|Bressingham Steam & Gardens}}

{{Infobox UK place

| country = England

| coordinates = {{coord|52.38574|1.049713|display=inline,title}}

| official_name = Bressingham

| population = 872

| population_ref = (2021)

| area_total_km2 = 15.76

| civil_parish = Bressingham

| shire_district = South Norfolk

| shire_county = Norfolk

| region = East of England

| constituency_westminster = Waveney Valley

| post_town = DISS

| postcode_district = IP22

| postcode_area = IP

| dial_code = 01379

| os_grid_reference = TM0780

| static_image = St John the Baptist,Bressingham - geograph.org.uk - 1024930.jpg

| static_image_width = 240px

| static_image_caption = Church of St. John the Baptist, Bressingham

}}

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

Bressingham is located {{Convert|2.1|mi|km}} north-west of Diss and {{Convert|19|mi|km}} north-east of Norwich.

History

Bressingham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the homestead/village of Briosa's people.{{Cite web |title=Key to English Place-names |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Bressingham |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=kepn.nottingham.ac.uk}}

Bressingham is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as consisting of 47 households, which placed it in the largest 20% of settlements. At this time, Bressingham was divided between the land of William I (2 acres of meadow, 6 pigs and woodland) and Bury St Edmunds Abbey (16 acres of meadow, 26 pigs and woodland). Domesday Book. (1086). Retrieved October 30, 2022. https://opendomesday.org/place/TM0780/bressingham/

From 1804, Bressingham had a thriving Amicable Society with upwards of thirty members agreeing to a rudimentary form of life insurance. The society conducted its meetings in the Chequers pub. Bressingham & Fersfield. (2021). Retrieved October 30, 2022. https://bressinghamandfersfield.org/2021/history/6203/(

A Methodist Church was built in Bressingham in 1900.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Bressingham has a population of 872 people which shows a slight decrease from the 887 people recorded in the 2011 census.{{Cite web |title=Bressingham (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/admin/south_norfolk/E04006520__bressingham/ |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}

Bressingham Parish is bordered to the south by the River Waveney and is bisected by the A1066, between Thetford and Diss.

Amenities within the village include a village shop{{Cite web |title=Bressingham Village Shop - High Rd, Roydon, Diss IP22 2AT |url=https://www.locaji.co.uk/norfolk/diss/bressingham-village-shop/489471/ |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=www.locaji.co.uk}} and Bressingham Village Hall. The local playing field is operated by Diss Town Football Club.

Church of St. John the Baptist

Bressingham's parish church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and was constructed in the late-13th century.{{Cite web |title=CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, Bressingham - 1373587 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1373587?section=official-list-entry |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}} The church was significantly remodelled in the 16th and 19th centuries and boasts both elaborate pew carvings, which have been damaged by iconoclasts in the 16th century and stained-glass installed by J & J King. Additionally, within the church there is a set of royal arms dating from the reign of King Charles II and a 19th century funeral bier.{{Cite web |title=The Norfolk Churches Site |url=http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/bressingham/bressingham.htm |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=www.norfolkchurches.co.uk}} The church has been Grade I listed since 1959.{{Cite web |title=CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, Bressingham - 1373587 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1373587?section=official-list-entry |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}}

Bressingham Steam Museum and Gardens

Bressingham Steam Museum & Gardens is located within the village which boasts a set of gardens initially started by Alan Bloom MBE and an impressive collection of steam locomotives.

Governance

Bressingham is part of the electoral ward of Bressingham and Burston for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.

The village's national constituency is Waveney Valley which has been represented by the Green Party's Adrian Ramsay since 2024.

War memorial

The Bressingham Parish War Memorial is found on the junction between School Road and High Road. The memorial was erected in 1922 and was built by a firm based in Diss called Messers Cooley and Son.{{Cite web |title=Bressingham War Memorial, Bressingham - 1442118 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1442118 |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}} It commemorates the following individuals who died in the First World War:{{Cite web |title=Bressingham WW1 and WW2 Memorial |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/56458 |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=Imperial War Museums |language=en}}

class="wikitable"

!Rank

!Name

!Unit

!Date of Death

!Other Commemoration/ Burial

Sgt.

|Charles W. Parsley

|9th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment

|3 Apr. 1917

|Vermelles British Cemetery

Cpl.