Branxton, Northumberland

Branxton
Flodden Field: looking south-south-east from the monument erected in 1910. The Scottish army advanced down the ploughed field, the English down the grassy field in the foreground, and they met, presumably at the valley boundary between the two fields
Branxton  Branxton shown within Northumberland
Population	123 (2011)
OS grid reference	NT895375
Unitary authority	Northumberland
Ceremonial county	Northumberland
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BERWICK UPON TWEED
Postcode district	TD12
Police	Northumbria
Fire	Northumberland
Ambulance	North East
EU Parliament	North East England
UK Parliament	Berwick-upon-Tweed (UK Parliament constituency)
List of places UK England 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. It has a population of 121, rising slightly to 123 at the 2011 Census.

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.

Pallinsburn House, an 18th-century country mansion, stands nearby.

There is 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 has been a popular tourist attraction, with its own tea room, and may still be accessible by the public for free (although with a coin box for voluntary donations).

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.

Notable people

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

External links

• GENUKI (Accessed: 19 November 2008)