Brampton History PageBrampton situated just to the south of Huntingdon retains its village green and the houses surrounding are probably part of the original village. The pub on the edge of the green changed its name to "The Harrier" in 1973 in honour of R.A.F. Brampton which is nearby. 
The area owes much of its prosperity to the Great North Road and the Great Ouse River. Many of the inns still found in the small villages were formerly coaching inns. Those beside the river often cater for the modern leisure craft. A key historic building in the village is the Grange Hotel. The Grange was built around 1773 and is a large red brick building in the high street. In the early nineteenth century it was acquired by Lady Olivia Bernard Sparrow of Brampton Park for use as a girls school. On her death the property passed to The Duke of Manchester and reverted to a private residence. At the outbreak of the Second World War, it was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force and subsequently became the headquarters of the American Eighth Air Force. After the war it became the Headquarters of the Royal Air Force Technical Training Command and later, the Air training Corps. 
In 1981 The Grange was converted into a small Hotel. It has recently been acquired by Nick and Susanna Steiger who are now refurbishing and redecorating the elegant rooms and establishing a reputation for serving good food and wine in welcoming surroundings.
Measures Master Butchers was founded in 1885 by Thomas Scotney and has supplied the residents of Brampton and surrounding areas with high-quality fresh meat ever since. The exception to this was during the Second World War when the then owners, Peacocks, were forced to close for period of several years. During that time, other local butchers supplied Measures' customers with meat, returning their custom to Measures at the end of the war. Brampton's most famous resident was Samuel Pepys. He was born on 23rd February 1633 over his father's tailor's shop in Salisbury Court between Fleet Street and The Thames. He moved to Brampton from London because of his health and fears of The Plague (from which several of his brothers died). Pepys lived at Brampton for part of his boyhood and attended the Huntingdon Free School which was the forerunner of the local Hinchingbrooke School. He lived for a time in his house in Brampton which he inherited from is uncle and which still stands. Pepys Farm, house, on the South side of the road from Brampton to Huntingdon, 400 yards NE of the church, is of two storeys with attics. The walls are partly of plastered timber-framing and partly of brick; the roofs are tiled. The timber-framed North part of the house was built in the middle of the 16th century and to this was added, early in the 18th century, the brick wing on the south. There is a modern addition to the west of this wing. Thanks to Geoffrey Henderson who has given us some information on Ridley Haim Herschell, a former resident of Brampton, who was born in Strzelno, Poland in 1807. He was the third son of a devout Jewish family but became a dissenting Christian minister after many trials and travels. He settled in England in 1828 and through the patronage of Lady Olivia Sparrow set up schools in Leigh-on-sea and Brampton. He later devoted his life to serving Jewish Christians and running a non-conformist church in London. According to his daughter's memoir her mother wrote the following children's song at Brampton "about the time of the Queen's accession" (1837). THE INFANT SCHOLAR'S ADDRESS TO THE QUEENVictoria! Victoria! We hail thy gentle, rule! Victoria, the patroness Of every infant school! The kings of old their people led To battles fierce and wild; 'Tis nobler far, with fostering care, To train each little child. When spring's return with primroses And violets fills the green, We'll weave the pretty flowers to make A chaplet for our Queen. When summer brings the lovely rose Again to deck the bowers, We'll think of thee, when we behold That fairest queen of flowers. In autumn, when the yellow crops Beneath the sickle bend, We'll pray that peace and plenty may Victoria's reign attend. And when the winter's wind and snow Beat cold against the door, We'll think of her whose laws protect The fireside of the poor. We little children scarce can tell What others mean by care; But we are told 'tis sorely felt By those a crown who wear. Then when thy heart with sorrow swells, Whate'er thy troubles be, Cast all thy care on Him who wore A thorny crown for thee. May God our Sovereign Lady grant Long o'er this land to rule; And children's children bless her name In this our infant school. If here we ne'er should see thy face, May We hereafter meet, Where thou wilt meekly cast thy crown At our Redeemer's feet. Hinchingbrooke House lies between Brampton and Huntingdon. It was originally a Benedictine Nunnery and Oliver Cromwell's Grandfather built a mansion around the ruins. The house has changed over the years and is now a school. It is still open to the public on Sunday afternoons between April and the end of August. Visitors can enjoy walks through the grounds. Godmanchester, linked to Huntingdon by a causeway, was once important being situated on the main highways to the north and west and the River Ouse with its links to other waterways. It has many black and white buildings and is a very attractive place. Huntingdonshire is no longer recognised as a county having been incorporated into the larger county of Cambridgeshire. The name is however still used locally. Acknowledgements to - The Companion Guide to East Anglia. John Seymour, Revised by John Burke. Nick and Susanna Steiger, The Grange Hotel. "The Monuments of Huntingdonshire" HMSO 1926. Duncan Grey of Hinchingbrooke School, Huntingdon, England. Geoffrey Henderson, Harlow, Essex, England. |