It is technically classified as an urban area, although in some respects it still has the picturesque character of a rural English village.

The parish includes the village of Thorney Hill, and the hamlets of Neacroft, Godwinscroft, Beckley, Hinton, and Waterditch.

[6] A local myth is that the name Bransgore came from one of King Alfred's battles against the Danes, Brans from "brains" and Gore from "blood".

In the 19th century, Victorian romantics even persuaded the Ordnance Survey to mark on their maps the site of a battle at Bransgore, on the road leading to Sopley.

Inside are wall paintings by Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852–1936) of Te Deum featuring local people.

[19] In 2023, the building of 100 homes in a flood prone area near Derrit Lane in Bransgore was approved despite many objections.