Bradenham, Buckinghamshire

Bradenham
St Botolph's Church, Bradenham
Bradenham Location within Buckinghamshire
Population	722 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference	SU823971
Unitary authority	Buckinghamshire
Ceremonial county	Buckinghamshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	High Wycombe
Postcode district	HP14
Dialling code	01494
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Buckinghamshire
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	Wycombe

Bradenham is a village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is near Saunderton, off the main A4010 road between Princes Risborough and High Wycombe.

Village

Bluebells in Bradenham Woods, Buckinghamshire

The village name is Anglo-Saxon and means 'broad enclosure', referring to the fact that the village sits in a broad valley among the surrounding Chiltern Hills. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village was recorded as Bradeham.

The Parish Church of St Botolph was restored in 1863 by G.E. Street and the south door dates from the early Norman period. The rectory on the main road is from the 18th century. The houses around the village green are mainly brick and flint, but include the distinctive 18th century stuccoed 'White House' with pointed windows and castellations. There is a pub on the main road called the Red Lion.

The whole village of Bradenham has been owned by the National Trust since 1956. They market it under the name Bradenham Village. In front of the manor house is a small, slightly sloping cricket pitch which is used by Bradenham Cricket Club. Village news and activities are documented in the monthly "Contact" magazine, which covers Bradenham plus the nearby villages of Bledlow Ridge, West Wycombe, Radnage and Piddington.

Royal Air Force

RAF High Wycombe is inside the village, to the north-east. The Strike Command Operations Centre (STCOC) formerly the Primary War Headquarters (PWHQ) bunker was built by RAF Strike Command on the National Trust land to the north east of the village between 1983 and 1985, in spite of opposition including a peace camp.

Manor house

Bradenham Manor

Bradenham is the location of a grand red brick manor house, which in the 13th century was a property belonging to the Earl of Warwick. The house was fit for royalty, as in 1566 Queen Elizabeth I was entertained here by Lord Windsor. The current manor house was substantially built by Sir Edmund Pye, 1st Baronet around 1670 with tall sash windows, steep roofs and slim brick chimneys. In the 19th century it was the home of Isaac D'Israeli who died there in 1848 and is buried in the church. His son Benjamin Disraeli, who became the prime minister, lived there for part of his early life. In the later Victorian era, the house was turned into a boarding school for local young gentlemen. Bradenham Manor is currently leased by the National Trust to Grant Thornton UK LLP as the firm's National Training Centre. It is well known for its gardens.

It featured as the 'Wargames Headquarters' in the 1967 film, The Dirty Dozen.

External links

• Bradenham Village information at the National Trust