The Sign
The sign was presented to the village by the Women's Institute in 1990 to celebrate their 40th anniversary. The central theme to the sign is a horse prancing on the Cattawade Bridge which is situated just to the south of the village close to the Suffolk/Essex border where it crosses the River Stour. There are bulrushes under the bridge which has three arches. In the corners of the sign are ears of barley, probably grown in the area, maybe for the brewing industry! The sign is made of wrought iron.

The Name and Population
Quite a large village with a population of 2,566 in 2011. BX Plastics added a new village in the late 1800's consisting of 60 new houses. It was called Brantham in 1086 and Braham in 1198. There are two possible meanings: "The homestead or enclosure of a man called Branta" from Old English, or the first element, also from Old English, could mean 'steep' referring to the slope from the river up to the church.

Other Points of Interest

The 14th century church of St Michael and All Angels is built on an older religious site. The church owns one of only three paintings by John Constable for the altarpiece in a church, the "Christ blessing the children", presented to the church by Constable himself in 1805. The original is at Emmanuelle College, Cambridge, with a replica on display today in the church.