Brooke, Norfolk

Brook's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English word for a small stream.^[1]

In the Domesday Book, Brooke is recorded as a settlement of 41 households in the hundred of Henstead. In 1086, the village was part of the estates of St. Edmund's Abbey.^[2]

Listed buildings in Brooke include Porch House (Seventeenth Century)^[3], Mere House (Seventeenth Century)^[4], Mere Cottage (Seventeenth Century)^[5], Laurel Farmhouse (Seventeenth Century)^[6] with accompanying barn (Nineteenth Century)^[7], No. 10 High Street (Eighteenth Century)^[8], High Green House (Eighteenth Century)^[9], The Warren (Seventeenth Century)^[10] and No. 66 High Green (Eighteenth Century).^[11] The Old Post Office dates from the Seventeenth Century^[12] and has nearby outbuildings from the Eighteenth Century^[13] with a 1935 Telephone Box as well.^[14]

There are further listed buildings along 'The Street' include No. 19, No. 21 (Eighteenth Century)^[15], No. 23, No. 24, No. 25, No. 26, No. 27 (Seventeenth Century)^[16], No. 28 (Sixteenth Century)^[17], No. 45 (Seventeenth Century)^[18], No. 79, No. 80, No. 81, No. 82 and No. 83 (Seventeenth Century).^[19]

A Brooke resident, Arthur Bunbury, died from fever whilst serving as assistant paymaster aboard HMS Hermione during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. A brass plaque commemorates Bunbury inside St. Peter's Church.^[20]

According to the 2021 census, Brooke (including Howe) has a population of 1,390 people which shows a slight decrease from the 1,399 people recorded in the 2011 census.^[21]

The B1332, between Trowse and Ditchingham, runs through the village.

Local children may attend Brooke Church of England Primary School which is located in a Seventeenth Century schoolhouse.^[22] Brooke Primary was last visited by Ofsted in September 2023 when it received a 'Good' Rating.^[23]

Amenities within the village include the King's Head Pub and Inn^[24] which dates from the Eighteenth Century^[25] as well as Brooke House Care Home^[26], a cafe called The Rural Kitchen and Chapelfield Veterinarian Practice. There is also another pub, The White Lion, within the village.^[27]

Brooke Cricket Club operates two senior men's teams as well as several youth teams. The 1st XI competes in Division 2 of the L'Anson League.^[28]

Brooke's parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter and dates to the Twelfth Century. St. Peter's is located on 'The Street' and is one of Norfolk's 124 remaining round-tower churches.^[29] The church was restored in the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Centuries and boasts an elaborate font dating from 1470 and depicting the sacraments. Additionally, there is stained-glass in the church designed by William Morris depicting Faith, Hope and Charity.^[30]

• Sir Astley Cooper, 1st Baronet- (1768-1841), surgeon and anatomist, born in Brooke.
• Reverend Dr. William Beal- (1815-1870), Vicar of Brooke 1847-1870.
• George Ewart Evans- (1909-1988), teacher, write and folklorist, lived in Brooke.
• Bernard Matthews CVO CBE- (1930-2010), founder of Bernard Matthews Foods, born in Brooke.
• Caroline Cossey- (b.1954), model and actress, born in Brooke.

Brooke is an electoral ward for local elections and is part of the district of South Norfolk.

The village's national constituency is South Norfolk which has been represented by the Labour's Ben Goldsborough MP since 2024.

Brooke War Memorial is a stone cross memorial located in St. Peter's Churchyard and lists the following for the First World War:^[31]

And, the following for the Second World War:

• St Peter's on the European Round Tower Churches Website

 

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