You can view the monument and explore the well-maintained landscaped gardens for free. The adjacent Robert Burns Birthplace Museum has an admission charge, but The Burns Monument and Gardens, at Alloway in South Ayrshire. Bramfield was the site of a significant medieval pilgrimage shrine, and the painted recess for the shrine survives in the north wall of the nave. Both the church and the tower are Grade I listed buildings. Within the tower is a ring of 5 bells, three of which were cast in 1440. The tower stands over 40 feet high and has walls 4.5' thick. The flintwork tower may possibly have been built to serve as a defensive stronghold for the nearby manor house, as well as to serve as a bell tower for the church. It has a beautifully thatched roof and is the only one in Suffolk that has a detached round tower.
Most of the church is 14th century, replacing a timber church that is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Suffolk is rich in historic churches (there are around 500) and it has the second greatest density of medieval churches in the country, outside Norfolk. Andrew's Church, Bramfield, in Suffolk lies just a few miles from the picturesque coastal towns of Southwold and Aldeburgh.
From here you can extend your walk to the delightful Healey Dell, which has featured on my website many times. If you prefer a more strenuous walk, a bridle path at the far end of the reservoir takes you over the hills, past the ruins of Cow Clough and then to Hallfold. Tree planting schemes, (including a Life for a Life Memorial Forest) are encouraging birds and wildlife to return to the area. Stone quarries on the hills above the reservoir are still in use and provided the stone for London's Trafalgar Square. The reservoir now has water ski facilities but is still not used as a drinking water source, although United Utilities has deemed it suitable. In July 1975 the reservoir was put out of use because of liquid phenol that had leached out of tyres being burnt high above the reservoir in the old quarries. Work began on the reservoir on 26th December 1868, with many residences, farms and two cotton mills having to be demolished. Cowm Reservoir, Whitworth provides a popular 1.3 miles circular walk along the levelled footpath that now encompasses the reservoir.
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