Branxton, Northumberland

Branxton is a village and civil parish in northern Northumberland, England. It lies about 3 miles (5 km) from the England-Scotland border and about 4 miles (6 km) from the Scottish border town of Coldstream, just off the A697 Newcastle-Edinburgh road. At the 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 123, increasing slightly from 121 at the 2001 Census.

1. Landmarks

Branxton is very close to the site of the Battle of Flodden, fought on 9 September 1513 between Scotland and England, the latter prevailing. A granite cross on the nearby Piper Hill (UK map reference NT890373) commemorates the battle. In 2013, the local community commemorated the 500-year anniversary of the battle. Pallinsburn House, an 18th-century country mansion, stands nearby. There was a painted concrete menagerie in the garden of one of the houses in the village. The sculptures were made, starting in 1962, by James Beveridge to designs by retired joiner John Fairnington (d. 1981) to amuse his disabled son, Edwin. As well as animals, there are statues of Winston Churchill, T. E. Lawrence and Robert Burns, and many texts set into the plinths and pathways. It was a popular tourist attraction, with its own tea room. The menagerie was transported to the nearby Ayton Castle in 2021, where they are undergoing restoration to be displayed in the castle grounds.

1. Religious sites

The parish church, dedicated to Saint Paul, occupies the site of an ancient church which was taken down and replaced by the present structure in 1849.

1. Notable people

Percival Stockdale, (1736–1811) poet, writer and reformer, especially in opposing slavery.

1. References


1. External links

GENUKI (Accessed: 19 November 2008)

Nearby Places View Menu

Battle of Flodden

The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton or Brainston Moor was fought on 9 September 1513 between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland as part of the War of the League of Cambrai and resulted in an English victory. The battle was fought near Branxton, in the county of Northumberland, in northern England, between an invading Scots army under King James IV and an English army commanded by the Earl of Surrey. In terms of troop numbers, it was the largest battle ever fought between the two kingdoms. After besieging and capturing several English border castles, James encamped his invading army on a commanding hilltop position at Flodden, awaited the English force that had been sent against him, and declined a challenge to fight in an open field. Surrey's army, therefore, carried out a circuitous march to position themselves in the rear of the Scottish camp. The Scots countered that by abandoning their camp and occupying the adjacent Branxton Hill and denying it to the English. The battle began with an artillery duel followed by a downhill advance by Scottish infantry armed with pikes. Unknown to the Scots, an area of marshy land lay in their path, which broke up their formations. That gave the English troops the chance to bring about a close-quarter battle for which they were better equipped. James IV was killed in the fighting and became the last monarch from Great Britain to die in battle. That and the loss of a large proportion of the nobility led to a political crisis in Scotland. British historians sometimes use the Battle of Flodden to mark the end of the Middle Ages in the British Isles; another candidate is the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Historic Site Landmark

Pallinsburn House

Pallinsburn House is an 18th-century country house situated at Crookham, Northumberland. It is a Grade II* listed building. The house was built about 1763, in a Jacobean style originally with a three-storey frontage, for John Askew, (High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1776), a younger son of Dr Adam Askew of Storrs Hall. The Askew family occupied the house until it was sold in 1911 to Major Charles Mitchell DSO, the grandson of the wealthy Tyneside shipbuilder, Charles Mitchell. Over the years, Major Mitchell carried out extensive improvements and alterations. In 1933 work was begun to remove the third storey of the central block. While this work was carried out, The Mitchells moved to Morris Hall, Norham. The house was sold in 2005 together with 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) for £6.5 million. The contents were sold at auction the following year and realised £840,000. The name of the small river, burn in Scots, is said to derive from Saint Paulinus baptising people of the region.

Historic Site Landmark

Crookham, Northumberland

Crookham is a village on the River Till in Northumberland, in England. It is situated approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) to the east of Coldstream and 14 km (8.7 mi) northwest of Wooler. It has three farms, Crookham Sandyford, Crookham Eastfield, and Crookham Westfield. Recorded as "Crucum" in 1244, the village name derived from the Old English for "Settlement at the Bend" (of the River Till).

Neighbourhood

Bareless

Bareless is a hamlet in Northumberland, England.

Landmark Neighbourhood