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Coordinates: 51°06′36″N 4°09′43″W / 51.11°N 4.162°W
Braunton is situated 5 miles (8 km) west of Barnstaple, Devon, England and is claimed to be the largest village in England, with a population in 2001 of 7,510. It is home to the nearby Braunton Great Field and Braunton Burrows, a National Nature and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
[edit] GeographyThere are a number of churches of various denominations with St. Brannock's being the parish church. The tower of St. Brannock's Church is over 700 years old and the chancel which has an arch and three lancets is about the same age. The 16th-century benches are richly carved. The 15th century south chapel has a curious brass palimpsest, hinged so that both sides are visible. There is a chest that may have come to England with the Spanish Armada.  Local schools include Caen Street Primary School, Kingsacre Primary School, Southmead Primary School and Braunton Community College, the local secondary school. The village had a railway station on the now closed Ilfracombe Branch Line. The South West Coast Path National Trail links to the village and gives access to walks along the spectacular North Devon coast. The Tarka Trail also passes through the village. The nearby Braunton Burrows marsh has been designated as a biosphere reserve, the first place in the country to gain this status.[1] The coastal part of the parish lies within the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. [edit] History The village took its name from St. Brannock, who came from South Wales as a missionary and converted the native Britons to Christianity in AD 550. 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 Dumnonian neighbours on the opposite side of the Bristol Channel. In all probability Brannock came to North Devon with such a raid and is said to have landed on Saunton Sands at the mouth of the River Taw. At the time of his arrival the estuary of the Taw and Torridge rivers was wooded, as was a portion of Braunton Burrows. Brannock settled among a tribe of local Britons, soon establishing a strong Christian community. A church, the first in North Devon, was built at a spot near where the Caen stream began to spread its waters on the alluvial lands around the River Taw. Brannockstood, the township that grew up around this church, later became Brauntona and at the end of the 19th century, Braunton. Braunton was surrounded by an extensive salt marsh, which was investigated by Charles Vancouver on behalf of the Board of Agriculture in 1808, and his report recommended that the marsh should be enclosed and reclaimed. This met with local approval, and James Green was appointed as engineer for the drainage scheme. An Act of Parliament was obtained on 25 May 1811, for the Inclosing, Draining, and Embanking Lands in Braunton, in the County of Devon. Once the scheme was completed, responsibility for the marsh passed to a group of Marsh Inspectors, who sanctioned further work in 1854, involving the straightening and embanking of the River Caen, or Braunton Pill, to form the Braunton Canal. The scheme was completed by the addition of a new quay at Velator in the 1870s.[1] [edit] Parish churchThe church of St Brannock's is large and has a Norman tower topped by a spire.[2] There is a fine series of 16th century benchends and other interesting carved woodwork.[3] [edit] Public houses and Braunton carnivalThe village boasts a number of pubs which include the Agricultural Inn on East Street; the Williams Armsin Wrafton; the Mariner's Arms on South Street; and the Black Horse on Church Street. The village holds a carnival each year near the end of May. [edit] SurfingIn recent years, the village has become a hub for surfing as it sits at the gateway to North Devon's surf beaches of Saunton, Croyde and Woolacombe. A number of major surf brands were created in the village including Tiki and Salt Rock. [edit] Twin towns
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