Houses of Great Bradley
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Great Bradley Hall
The oldest house in Great Bradley is the Hall. In fact, the present building is the latest in those grounds. The remains of a large moat fit a pattern seen in other places of a double court, the house in the main court and the stables and work sheds etc in the outer court. This is, however, conjecture and further investigation is needed to confirm the theory. The present house is certainly at least eighteenth century, and is known to have been much extended in Victorian times. |
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Farm Houses
The known old farmhouses of Great Bradley are those at East Green (East Green Farm and Pettets Farm House), Fox Farm House, Pond House, Mill House and Matthew's Farm. All have old features inside, using brick which may well have been locally made. Old maps show three farms beyond the end of Matthews Lane (two owned by St. John's College at Ever, or Over, Green, and one other to the south of the green and owned by the manor), and at Lanacre or Long Acre Green were three more, Lanacre, Galleys and Horse Pasture Farms, but all six of these have disappeared now. |
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Cottages & Pubs
There are many cottages still standing in the village, and many more have disappeared in the last 100 years. Most remaining cottages have been small one or two "up" places, that have been restored and enlarged, like the Rose Cottages in Evergreen Lane and The Street, Sugar Loaf, Bramblemere and Bluebell Cottage. Yew Tree Cottage is an example of three cottages that have now become one. The three previous pubs in the village. The Fox (or Fox and Goose), the Crown (or Rose and Crown) and the Three Tuns are all old buildings, but probably The Fox is the oldest. Other old houses in the village include Old Farm and Quince Cottages in East Green, Fantails, the cottages opposite the Fox, Willow Cottage and Hill House. There were pairs of brick cottages built at the extremities of the village, at Spring Barn, St. John's Cottages, and on the Cowlinge Road, at the turn of the last century |
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Clarendale
In 1966, land which had previously belonged to Mr. R.S. Ryder of Great Bradley Hall was sold in order that a mixed development of 40 homes could be built. By the time all these homes were occupied, the population of the village had increased by 50%, and it is probably of value today, when great concern is being expressed over the 'dying'' villages of Suffolk, to consider the change brought about by the advent of such a development in a rural area. Woodland Park Estates developed Clarendale Estate over the mid to late 1960s on the site previously used as a cricket pitch. |
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Infill
A number of houses have been built on individual plots over the years. This shows the demolition of Clem Smith's house on the corner of Evergren Lane and Main Street. It was one of two 18th century cottages that were repalced by three modenr houses in 1978/79 |
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Fox Green
In June 1988, Messrs. R. S. and C. W. C. Ryder of Great Bradley Farms announced the intention to undertake a development at Fox Farm, and to relocate the farming business away from the centre of the village. It was proposed that 25 houses would be built at Fox Farm, and a separate 3.5 acre recreation ground adjacent to the development would be made available. The main site was approximately 8 acres, and the development was offered for sale by formal tender on 15th October 1993. The development by H. C. Moss was completed over two years, 1996/98. |
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Conversions
A number of former farm buildings have been converted in to houses, including the Waterfield Barn and Matthews Farm Barn |
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New Builds
A limited number of houses have been built on divided plots, including in Evergreen Lane and Main Street. This picture shows The Limes on the corner of Evergreen Lane and Mathtews Lane. |
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The Houses of Great Bradley - Historical Housing Stock The Parish Register 1786-1862 shows the following information for the population in the village from 1811-1831
Each entry is signed by For 1811 - Thomas Eagle and Philip Denby From 1991 to 2003 the number of buildings available for residence in the village rose by 30. The biggest change was due to the development of Fox Green between 1996 & 1998.
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Great Bradley from the air in 2010
