The Orange Pippin website gives a list of suitable pollinators for Bramley and includes Braeburn - so yes, just one other tree should be sufficient. Orange Pippin are a great company and you'll get good advice from them, if you want to choose a variety which will do well in your area as well as pollinate your Bramley.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I think even self fertile apples produce larger crops with some cross pollination but without they can still have smaller yields. Crabapples can make nice pollinating partners as they flower for so long and can be quite decorative.
When we bought our bramley apple, I remember seeing it mentioned that it needs to be planted within 15 miles of another one but have never figured out why (it was a fiver from homebase in a sale).
That's a bit odd, @thevictorian... if they meant "within 15 miles of another Bramley" that makes no sense, since Bramley pollen is infertile - and if it meant within 15 miles of another apple tree that doesn't make sense either, because bees don't fly that far. The Internet says they travel on average 1-2 miles when foraging, though up to 5 miles isn't unknown.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
It said within 15 miles of another bramley. I didn't know at the time that bramley were sterile so we bought two. I just remember it because we thought it was so odd and guessed it was a typo and they meant 15 metres. I don't know who grows the trees for them but they are field grown and just shoved in a pot. They still seem to use the same supplier.
Some good points already made, I would add, that if grown as an espalier or a fan it would take up very little space in a garden. I agree about crab apples being good pollinators.
The bramley only needs one pollinator, it's the braeburn that might need help since the bramley can't do the job.
No apple tree needs two pollinators it's not physically possible for two pieces of pollen to fertilise the same seed. The confusion arises because the second tree needs to be either self fertile or have a (third) pollination partner.
A bit late to this post ( been away) but we have a duo Golden Delicious and Elstar. It has taken 5 years to grow it to a reasonable fruit production. Partly as its been trained in an espalier shape, on both varieties, and partly just to get it old enough to fruit. I didn't realise that the frame I originally used would need to stay permanently, as apples need constant support in this shape. So deciding where it will go, what shape you want it to be, and how big you will let it get matters to what you do now. As training will start now @daisym it maybe difficult to keep it in a pot, and support its growth.
@purplerallim Thank you for this information. One thought was to grow as an espalier so will pass on that info. At the moment the tree is scheduled to be potted up in a large pot on Friday. This is temporary but necessary due to building work going on. I don't know how old the tree is but it is very small (about 1.5m). Will the way it is pruned affect the time before it produces fruit or is it just the age of the tree? Many thanks for your interest.
@purplerallim, we've got the same duo but I wish we'd trained it as an espalier, our's is now getting out of reach to prune even with a long handled lopper. The Golden Delicious side has never done well for us.
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When we bought our bramley apple, I remember seeing it mentioned that it needs to be planted within 15 miles of another one but have never figured out why (it was a fiver from homebase in a sale).
I don't know who grows the trees for them but they are field grown and just shoved in a pot. They still seem to use the same supplier.
I didn't realise that the frame I originally used would need to stay permanently, as apples need constant support in this shape. So deciding where it will go, what shape you want it to be, and how big you will let it get matters to what you do now. As training will start now @daisym it maybe difficult to keep it in a pot, and support its growth.
The Golden Delicious side has never done well for us.