Visit Maiden Bradley Places

Welcome to Visit Maiden Bradley Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Maiden Bradley

  

Maiden Bradley Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Maiden Bradley

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Maiden Bradley history

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Early history

Bradley means a wide clearing or wood; Bradley means Broad (OE) & Ley = clearing . The village takes its name from the leper hospital for maidens founded in the 12th century . 1½ miles southwest of Bradley is the deserted medieval village of Yarnfield, now a farming hamlet .

The Priory in the medieval centuries

By the mid-11th century, Bradley had developed as a large manor . The Domesday Survey assessed it at 4,000 acres (16 km) worth £10 a year . In 1154 he founded an asylum for girls suffering from leprosy . In 1189, the Bishop of Salisbury changed the institution into an Augustinian priory dedicated to St. Mary and St. Lazarus .

Plague during the English Civil War

Eyam was struck by the plague in 1646, and for 10 months no-one was allowed to leave the village . In 1671 smallpox broke out, prompting the cancellation of the October fair and market .

Bradley House

Around 1688 Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet deserted his family home at Berry Pomeroy Castle in Devon . He used the money to fund improvements to a new house at Bradley that had been started by his father, the 3rd Baronet . An exceptionally large mansion was completed here in 1710 . It was replaced in 1820 by today’s house which is an eighth of the previous footprint .

Beating the bounds

Beating the bounds is recorded as practised each year in the 18th century . All male residents attended and walked the whole parish boundary . This ensured that by sowing and reaping, taking the natural produce or grazing animals on other peoples’ land, villagers would not commit aggravated trespass .

Early modern

Bradley was built in 1847 and paid for by the Duke of Somerset . In 1851 the population reached its peak at 619 . In 1780 there were three coaching inns in the village . During the First World War, Bradley was used as a military hospital .

20th century

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the village population fell to its lowest in at least 200 years; 328 in 1991 and 335 in 2001 . The Duke of Somerset still lives at Bradley House .

Maiden Bradley geography / climate

Great Bradley Wood and Little Bradley Wood spans the Somerset border. It occupies a large western tranche of Maiden Bradley parish, Maiden Bradley. The western woodland has the source of the River Frome, Somerset, which continues to drain most of its area. Most of the rest of the parish is drained by porous soil and underground gulleys.

You can visit Maiden Bradley places with Walkfo Maiden Bradley to hear history at Maiden Bradley’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Maiden Bradley has 8 places to visit in our interactive Maiden Bradley map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Maiden Bradley, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Maiden Bradley places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Maiden Bradley & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 8 audio facts unique to Maiden Bradley places in an interactive Maiden Bradley map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Maiden Bradley Places Map
8 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Maiden Bradley historic spots	Maiden Bradley tourist destinations	Maiden Bradley plaques	Maiden Bradley geographic features
Walkfo Maiden Bradley tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Maiden Bradley

  

Best Maiden Bradley places to visit

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Maiden Bradley has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Maiden Bradley’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Maiden Bradley’s information audio spots:

St Michael’s Church, Gare Hill St Michael’s Church was designed by William Butterfield and built in 1857–58 . It has been a Grade II* listed building since 1981 . The churchyard wall and gateway is also Grade II listed .

Visit Maiden Bradley plaques