Brooke, Norfolk

Brooke
Village and civil parish
Brooke St Peter
Brooke Location within Norfolk
Area	11.91 km2 (4.60 sq mi)
Population	1,390 (2021)
•  Density	117/km2 (300/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TG293001
Civil parish	Brooke
District	South Norfolk
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORWICH
Postcode district	NR15
Dialling code	01508
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	South Norfolk
List of places UK England Norfolk 52°33′00″N1°22′59″E / 52.550°N 1.383°E / 52.550; 1.383

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

Brooke is located 4.7 miles (7.6 km) west of Loddon and 6.4 miles (10.3 km) south-east of Norwich. Brooke CP also includes the smaller village of Howe.

History

Brook's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English word for a small stream. ^[1]

In the Domesday Book, Brooke is recorded as a settlement of 41 households in the hundred of Henstead. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of St. Edmund's Abbey. ^[2]

Listed buildings in Brooke include Porch House (Seventeenth Century), ^[3] Mere House (Seventeenth Century), ^[4] Mere Cottage (Seventeenth Century), ^[5] Laurel Farmhouse (Seventeenth Century) ^[6] with accompanying barn (Nineteenth Century), ^[7] No. 10 High Street (Eighteenth Century), ^[8] High Green House (Eighteenth Century), ^[9] The Warren (Seventeenth Century) ^[10] and No. 66 High Green (Eighteenth Century). ^[11] The Old Post Office dates from the Seventeenth Century ^[12] and has nearby outbuildings from the Eighteenth Century ^[13] with a 1935 Telephone Box as well. ^[14]

There are further listed buildings along 'The Street' include No. 19, No. 21 (Eighteenth Century), ^[15] No. 23, No. 24, No. 25, No. 26, No. 27 (Seventeenth Century), ^[16] No. 28 (Sixteenth Century), ^[17] No. 45 (Seventeenth Century), ^[18] No. 79, No. 80, No. 81, No. 82 and No. 83 (Seventeenth Century). ^[19]

A Brooke resident, Arthur Bunbury, died from fever whilst serving as assistant paymaster aboard HMS Hermione during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. A brass plaque commemorates Bunbury inside St. Peter's Church. ^[20]

Geography

According to the 2021 census, Brooke (including Howe) has a population of 1,390 people which shows a slight decrease from the 1,399 people recorded in the 2011 census. ^[21]

The B1332, between Trowse and Ditchingham, runs through the village.

Local children may attend Brooke Church of England Primary School which is located in a Seventeenth Century schoolhouse. ^[22] Brooke Primary was last visited by Ofsted in September 2023 when it received a 'Good' Rating. ^[23]

Amenities within the village include the King's Head Pub and Inn ^[24] which dates from the Eighteenth Century ^[25] as well as Brooke House Care Home, ^[26] a cafe called The Rural Kitchen and Chapelfield Veterinarian Practice. There is also another pub, The White Lion, within the village. ^[27]

Brooke Cricket Club operates two senior men's teams as well as several youth teams. The 1st XI competes in Division 2 of the L'Anson League. ^[28]

St Peter's Church

Brooke's parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter and dates to the Twelfth Century. St. Peter's is located on 'The Street' and is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining round-tower churches. ^[29] The church was restored in the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Centuries and boasts an elaborate font dating from 1470 and depicting the sacraments. Additionally, there is stained-glass in the church designed by William Morris depicting Faith, Hope and Charity. ^[30]

Notable Residents

• Sir Astley Cooper, 1st Baronet- (1768-1841), surgeon and anatomist, born in Brooke.
• Reverend Dr. William Beal- (1815-1870), Vicar of Brooke 1847-1870.
• George Ewart Evans- (1909-1988), teacher, write and folklorist, lived in Brooke.
• Bernard Matthews CVO CBE- (1930-2010), founder of Bernard Matthews Foods, born in Brooke.
• Caroline Cossey- (b.1954), model and actress, born in Brooke.

Governance

Brooke is an electoral ward for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.

The village's national constituency is South Norfolk which has been represented by the Labour's Ben Goldsborough MP since 2024.

War Memorial

Brooke War Memorial is a stone cross memorial located in St. Peter's Churchyard and lists the following for the First World War: ^[31]

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Other Commemoration / Burial
LS	Christopher Jay	HMS Hawke	15 Oct. 1914	Chatham Naval Memorial
Sgt.	Charles Burroughes	1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment	15 Oct. 1914	Le Touret Memorial
LCpl.	Matthew A. Evans	10th Bn., Lancashire Fusiliers	6 Apr. 1918	Étaples Military Cemetery
LCpl.	R. Charles Sturman	7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	5 Jan. 1916	Souvenir Cemetery, Longuenesse
Gnr.	Cecil R. Parfitt	25th (Anti-Aircraft) Coy., Royal Garrison Artillery	23 Mar. 1917	St. Peter's Churchyard, Brooke
Pte.	George Cooper	3rd Bn., Coldstream Guards	13 Jul. 1916	Essex Farm Cemetery
Pte.	Lleweylln Dredge	1st Bn., Essex Regiment	6 Aug. 1915	Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery
Pte.	E. E. Victor French	1st Bn., Essex Rgt.	15 Mar. 1918	Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
Pte.	Charles H. Bullen	2nd Bn., Royal Fusiliers	13 Apr. 1918	Ploegsteert Memorial
Pte.	George A. Turner	9th Bn., Royal Fusiliers	7 Oct. 1916	Serre Road Cemetery, Hébuterne
Pte.	Charles R. Baldwin	4th Bn., Norfolk Regiment	18 Sep. 1915	7th Field Amulance Cemetery, Büyükanafar
Pte.	Edwin J. Cubitt	4th Bn., Norfolk Rgt.	5 Dec. 1917	War Cemetery, Port Said
Pte.	Frederick J. Sayer	4th Bn., Norfolk Rgt.	19 Apr. 1917	Jerusalem Memorial
Pte.	James P. Norman	8th Bn., Norfolk Rgt.	17 May 1917	Arras Memorial
Pte.	S. George Sturman	8th Bn., Norfolk Rgt.	1 Jul. 1916	Thiepval Memorial
Pte.	Harry B. J. Whitwood	1st Bn., Queen's Own Royal Regiment	26 Oct. 1917	Hooge Crater Cemetery

And, the following for the Second World War:

Rank	Name	Unit	Date of Death	Other Commemoration / Burial
FSgt.	Frederick G. Clarke	Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve	13 Jun. 1945	Kranji War Cemetery
Sgt.	Peter B. Corbett	No. 90 Squadron RAF	8 Sep. 1941	Bygland Churchyard
Sgt.	Daniel L. Gooch	No. 100 Squadron RAF	4 Mar. 1943	Runnymede Memorial
Gnr.	Frederick S. Sayer	3rd (Maritime) Rgt., Royal Artillery	23 Dec. 1941	Chatham Naval Memorial
Pte.	Edward A. C. Utting	2/5th Bn., Queen's Royal Regiment	26 Sep. 1944	War Cemetery, Gradara

References

1. "Key to English Place-names". kepn.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
2. "Brooke | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
3. "PORCH HOUSE, Brooke - 1372848 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
4. "MERE HOUSE, Brooke - 1051122 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
5. "MERE COTTAGE, Brooke - 1051121 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
6. "LAUREL FARMHOUSE, Brooke - 1170418 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
7. "BARN APPROXIMATELY 20 METRES NORTH OF LAUREL FARMHOUSE, Brooke - 1051126 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
8. "10, HIGH GREEN, Brooke - 1051159 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
9. "HIGH GREEN HOUSE, Brooke - 1372866 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
10. "THE WARREN, Brooke - 1051158 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
11. "66, HIGH GREEN, Brooke - 1051160 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
12. "POST OFFICE, Brooke - 1051118 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
13. "HOUSE TO REAR OF POST OFFICE, Brooke - 1051119 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
14. "K6 TELEPHONE KIOSK SOUTH SOUTH EAST OF KINGS HEAD PUBLIC HOUSE, Brooke - 1343676 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
15. "19 AND 21, THE STREET, Brooke - 1170429 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
16. "23-27, THE STREET, Brooke - 1051127 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
17. "26 AND 28, THE STREET, Brooke - 1051125 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
18. "45, THE STREET, Brooke - 1366158 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
19. "79-83, THE STREET, Brooke - 1372849 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
20. "Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Brooke". www.roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
21. "Brooke (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
22. "SCHOOL HOUSE, Brooke - 1306110 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
23. [e-mail], Ofsted Communications Team (25 July 2022). "Find an inspection report and registered childcare". reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
24. "The Kings Head Inn, Brooke". The Kings Head Inn, Brooke. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
25. "KINGS HEAD PUBLIC HOUSE, Brooke - 1170310 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
26. "Brooke House Care Home Near Norwich, Norfolk". Kingsley Healthcare. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
27. "Home". White Horse. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
28. "Brook Cricket Club Saturday 1st XI". www.brookcricketclub.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
29. "CHURCH OF ST PETER, Brooke - 1051120 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
30. "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
31. "Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Brooke". www.roll-of-honour.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.

External links

• St Peter's on the European Round Tower Churches Website