Bradninch, United Kingdom
Bradninch is a town of 1,881 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Bradninch
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 6 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Killerton and Quad World.
Weather in Bradninch
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Bradninch
Bradninch is a small town, civil parish and manor in Devon, England, lying about 3 miles (5 km) south of Cullompton. Much of the surrounding farmland belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall although the Duchy announced in March 2026 that they would be "withdrawing from Bradninch" and their farms and other properties are in the process of being sold (September 2026). There is an electoral ward with the same name, which since May 2023 comprises the entire parish. The population was 2,165 in 2021.
From the Wikipedia article Bradninch (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks4
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes6
Where to stay1
History
Bradninch dates back to before the 7th century and at some time there was almost certainly a Norman or Anglo-Saxon fortress on Castle Hill. There are no physical remains, and no known primary documentary references, but the likely site was surrounded by a number of 'castle' field names on the tithe map. It would have been unusual for Bradninch not to have had a castle given its status in the medieval period.
Bradninch was the caput of the feudal barony of Bradninch granted by William the Conqueror (1066–1087) to William Capra, who is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as holding this manor. The barony escheated to the crown and King Henry I (1100–1135) granted it to William I de Tracy (d.circa 1136). He left one daughter and sole-heiress Grace de Tracy who married John de Sudeley, They had two children: Ralph de Sudeley (died 1192), the eldest, who became his father's heir, and Sir William II "de Tracy" (d. post 1172), who inherited his mother's barony of Bradninch and assumed her family name in lieu of his patronymic. He married Hawise de Born and had a son William III de Tracy (d. pre-1194), one of the four knights who assassinated Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, in December 1170.
Read more of the history
Following the execution of King Charles I in 1649, an Act of Parliament was passed which allowed the sale of the feudal barony of Bradninch (or "honour of Bradninch") together with its caput, namely the manor of Bradninch, together with the borough of Bradninch, and on 24 March 1650 all were sold for the sum of £19,517 11 shillings 10 1/4 pence to Thomas Sanders and John Gorges as trustees for the new Commonwealth. The feudal barony and manor were returned to the Dukedom of Cornwall following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 although the feudal element of the holding was effectively extinguished at about the same time by the Tenures Abolition Act 1660.
William, Prince of Wales as the present Duke of Cornwall, remains the nominal lord of the manor of Bradninch, and the theoretical feudal baron of Bradninch, and the Duchy of Cornwall continues to own much of the land within the parish.
The town was largely destroyed in a fire in 1666 (the same year as the Great Fire of London).
Bradninch lost its borough status in 1886 under the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act. The property of the corporation, including Bradninch Guildhall, has since been vested in the Bradninch Town Trust, which is a separate organisation to the town council, though four of its nine trustees are appointed by the town council.
From the History section of Bradninch on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Bradninch
- George WestAmerican politician (1823–1901)
- Nick McKinnelBishop of Plymouth; Bishop of Crediton; British Anglican bishop
Born in Bradninch, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Churches and places of worship4
Shopping2
Schools, colleges and libraries1
Map of Bradninch
21 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Exeter Airport (EXT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 6 miles away.
- Whimple 5 mi southeast, about 8 min by car
- Tiverton 6 mi northwest, about 10 min by car
- Sampford Peverell 7 mi north, about 11 min by car
- Exeter 8 mi southwest, about 13 min by car
- Dunkeswell 9 mi east, about 15 min by car
- Honiton 10 mi east, about 17 min by car
- Newton Poppleford 10 mi southeast, about 17 min by car
- Sidmouth 12 mi southeast, about 20 min by car
- Lympstone 12 mi south, about 20 min by car
- Exmouth 14 mi south, about 23 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Bradninch
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Local news
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- St Disen, Bradninch (31250027480), grassrootsgroundswell, CC BY 2.0
- Killerton House 01, Derek Harper, CC BY-SA 2.0
- StAndrews Cullompton, NHSavage, CC BY-SA 3.0
- White Lion Inn (1), Peter Glyn, CC BY-SA 3.0
- K6 Telephone Kiosk At Junction Of Millway And Fore Street, Peter Glyn, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, RyanBush, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.