Braunton, one of the largest villages
in the West of England and reputedly the largest in England, lies
in the North West of Devon, overlooking Barnstaple Bay. It is two
miles from the sea and through the centre runs the Caen Stream a
tributary of the Taw. It took its name from the Goidel saint, Brannock,
who came from South Wales as a missionary and converted the native
Britons to the christian faith in 550 A D.
Braunton parish Church
Brannock was a priest in the household of Brychan, king
of Brencknock. He married one of the king's daughters, but the family
troubles were a great incentive for leaving his royal home. At that
time the Welsh Britons often raided their Dumnoni neighbours on the
opposite side of the Bristol Channel.
In all probability Brannock came to North Devon on the
occasion of such a raid and is said to have landed on Saunton
Sands at the mouth of the River
Taw.
The Estuary of the Taw and Torridge was
wooded in those days. As also was a portion of Braunton Borrows. Here
lived a tribe of Britons and Brannock settled among them, soon establishing
a strong christian community. A christian church, the first North Devon
was built at a spot near where the Caen stream began to spread its waters
on the Alluvial alnds around the River Taw.
The township, that grew up around this church, he named Brannockstood,
which later became Brauntona and at the end of the nineteenth century,
Braunton. Many of the older villagers would tell you that they lived
in Branton just as those of a neighbouring village today say they lived
in Ham.
The 15th Century church of St Brannocks is well worth a visit, and from West Hill there is a panoramic view of the Braunton Great Field, a relic of medieval cultivation and Braunton Burrows, a naturalists paradise.
Local events in Braunton include a carnival and village fayre at the end of May, and transport extravaganza in early July. There is a new Tourist Information Centre in the middle of the village and free car parking. The Tarka Trailstarts in the village for keen cyclists.
The Welsh missionary, St Branoc, founded a religious settlement here in the 6th Century. The present church is believed to have been built on the same site. It is mainly 13th Century and has particularly fine carved bench ends which were crafted in the 16th Century.
Braunton, one of the largest villages in England, is a somewhat uneasy mix of new and old buildings and developments, but offers an excellent variety of shops and services. An excellent example of mediaevall open field cultivation is to be seen at "Braunton Great Field" which is divided into strips over a 350 acre area.
Braunton Burrows is a well-known Nature Reserve of over 1000 acres, which attracts many visitors, and comprises one of the largest areas of windswept sand dunes in England. The sand is trapped in place by large clumps of Marram Grass. The burrows are a favourite location for study by botanists, naturalists and ornithologists.
The village of Braunton is situated on the A361 between Barnstaple and Ilfracombe, and on the cross roads of the main coastal road to the fine sandy beaches of Saunton and Croyde. The nearby UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Braunton Burrows is over 3,000 hectares of North Devon landscape and has been formally recognised by as Britain's first new-style Biosphere. The Biosphere has Braunton Burrows at the core but stretches out to include Braunton Marshes and Great Field, Northam Burrows, the Taw/Torridge estuary and as far as Croyde Dunes and Kipling Tors.
Braunton makes claim to be the largest village in England and the old part of contains narrow ancient streets where cob-walled cottages are still visible. The local shops provide a good selection of provision, gift & craft shops and there is also a free car park. A large number of surf shops in the village sell and hire equipment for use at the nearby beaches and Braunton is also a centre for the manufacturing of Wet Suits and Surf Boards. There are a good selection of pubs and restaurants including an extremely popular Fish and Chip Restaurant and Take Away, which has won an award for Best Fish & Chip Shop in the South West. An Art & craft Centre and a new Heritage Centre complete the picture.
Breathtaking Saunton Sands stretches as far as the eye can see. It is backed by Braunton Burrows which is now the centre of over 3000 hectares that have been formally recognised by UNESCO as Britain's first new-style Biosphere Reserve.
It is considered to be of international importance because of the diversity and abundance of rare plants and its continuous human use from ancient times.
Although there are 400 other Biosphere Reserves world-wide including the area around Mount Vesuvius in Italy and the Danube Delta in Eastern Europe, it is the first in the UK and likely to be the only one in the South-West.
Renowned for its sheer beauty, the beach also plays host to many activities such as sand yachting, surfing and kite flying, and has been used as a location for many film, video and television productions.
Nearby is the famous Saunton Golf Club with its magnificent 18 hole championship standard links courses. golf has been played at Saunton for more than 100 years and the East course, redesigned in 1919 by the famous W. Herbert Fowler, has remained essentially unchanged since that date. The newer West course was originally built in the mid-thirties but was lost as a battle training ground during the Second World War.
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