Brandon

History

Brandon, likely "hill where broom grows", has been variously referred to as Brandona, Braundon, Brandones Ferye, Brandon Ferry, Brand, and Bromdum throughout history. The earliest known spelling was in the 11th century when the town, gradually expanding up and along the rising ground of the river valley, was called Bromdun. The town was originally developed as a crossing point for the Little Ouse River. which thrived until the 1950s. Brandon was still a major centre for the production of gunflints by the Napoleonic Wars. Gunflint production ended in 1945. Brandon's Great Fire occurred on 14 May 1789. A fire started at the surgeon's home from either a lightning strike or by hot ash embers being blown onto the thatched roof of a wooden shed by the wind. Eleven houses were damaged and 8 of them were completely destroyed. The hardest hit was Francis Diggon, the saddler, The US Army Air Force's 3rd Air Division set up a makeshift base, Camp Blainey, in Brandon for the duration of World War II. Some Polish families displaced during the war chose to remain in Brandon and surrounding areas, where they had been living in displacement camps, when they found they were unable to return home. In 1968, the Greater London Council began developing public housing in Brandon, resulting in further expansion of the town. American families also lived in and around the town during the Cold War.