This changed in 1887 when British Xylonite Ltd. purchased the 130-acre (0.53 km2) Brooklands Farm and built their factory, which was later renamed BX Plastics.

Brantham Leisure Centre is a community-interest company providing venues for football, bowls, netball, cricket, and tennis, plus bar and function facilities.

[3] The village's football club, Brantham Athletic, competes in the Premier Division of the Eastern Counties League.

Brantham's parish church of St. Michael and All Angels dates back to the 14th century, although it is believed a religious building has been on the site for over 1,000 years.

The Tudor didactic poet Thomas Tusser settled at Katwade (now Cattawade) and is believed to have written his most famous work A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie at Brantham Hall.

Greater Anglia planned to open a train depot on the site a former Imperial Chemical Industries factory.

[5][6][7] However the project was put on hold after the council raised concerns about the time that a nearby level crossing would be blocked for.

[10] A small parade of commercial buildings are present on Birch Drive, including a Co-Operative store,[11] a cafe, and a hairdressers.