The Anglo-Saxon manor of Bramall was held as separate estates by two Saxon freemen, Brun and Hacun. In 1070, William the Conqueror subdued the north-west of England, and divided the land among his followers. The manor was given to Hamon de Massey, who eventually became the first Baron of Dunham Massey. The earliest reference to Bramall was recorded in the Domesday Book as "Bramale", a name derived from the Old English words brom meaning broom, both indigenous to the area, and halh meaning nook or secret place, probably by water. De Masci received the manor as wasteland, since it had been devastated by William the Conqueror. By the time of the Domesday survey, the land was recovering and cultivated again.

In 1875, Bramhall was one of eight civil parishes of Cheshire to be included in the Stockport Rural rural sanitary district. The sanitary district became the Stockport Rural District in 1894. The parish was abolished in 1900 and its former area became part of the Hazel Grove and Bramhall civil parish and urban district. In 1974, the district was abolished, under the Local Government Act 1972, and transferred to Greater Manchester to be combined with that of other districts to form the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport.

Bramall Hall, situated in 26 hectares (64 acres) of parkland, is an example of a 14th-century Cheshire building. It is a largely Tudor manor house in Bramhall. It is a timber-framed building; the oldest parts of which date from the 14th century, with later additions from the 16th and 19th centuries. The house, which functions as a museum, and its 70 acres (28 ha) of landscaped parkland with lakes, woodland and gardens (Bramhall Park) are open to the public.

In 2016 an extensive programme of restoration work was completed by a dedicated team. The Ladybrook flows through the park towards Cheadle and Bramall Hall.

The house is licensed for wedding and civil partnership ceremonies, and has been used as a background for television series and films, including Prank Patrol, Cash in the Attic, Coronation Street, The Making of a Lady and The Last Vampyre.

Currently the house is named "Bramall" while the park is named "Bramhall", though there remain some local inconsistencies. However, both have been spelt as "Bramhall", "Bramal" and other variations over the years. The Domesday Book used the spelling "Bramale", which led Charles Nevill to prefer "Bramall", a convention maintained by Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council when it acquired the property. Stockport Council consistently refer to the hall as "Bramall" and the park as "Bramhall" respectively.