The owners of Brampton Park House and their fascinating guests

Brampton Park House is an historic estate located in Brampton, Cambridgeshire, a charming village with its picturesque thatched cottages, quaint pubs, and historic church. Its rich history which spans over several centuries can be divided into three periods.

The first period dates back to the 12th century, when the estate was held by William the Sokeman in direct fealty to the King.

It is believed that a Royal hunting lodge may have existed on the estate during this time. In the 16th century, the Throckmorton family built a "fair brick house" on the property. 

In the 17th century Brampton Park House was a home for Sir John Bernard, 2nd Baronet, an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1654 and 1660.

Brampton Park House has associations with the famous diarist Samuel Pepys.

Brampton village was the home of his uncle, Robert Pepys, elder brother of the diarist's father, whose house still stands here. Samuel Pepys is known to have stayed there and at the Black Bull Inn in the village.

Legend has it that his fortune is buried somewhere in the village: during the panic caused by the Dutch raid on the Medway in 1667 he buried his gold in the garden of Brampton House and was never sure how much of it he had succeeded in recovering.

The second period of the estate's history is dominated by Lady Olivia Sparrow.

She was a prominent philanthropist who became a leading proponent of education and care for the poor, particularly women.



She funded a number of housing schemes in the Huntingdon area and further afield, including India, Hadleigh, and Leigh. Lady Sparrow also built schools and churches.

Many notable figures of her time used to be the guests of Brampton Park House including Lord William Wilberforce, Hannah More and famous artist Cornelius Varley.

Brampton Park House has been visited by many other honoured people over the years, including the Duke of Wellington and his bride Kitty Pakenham, who were introduced to each other by Lady Sparrow. William Wordsworth, the poet laureate, also visited the estate, 

and John Nash, one of England's most prominent architects, did some work here for Lady Olivia as well.

The house was extensively remodelled by Lady Olivia between 1802 and 1825. She commissioned Thomas Steadman Whitwell to rebuild the main building in 1821-22.

It used to be a grand three-storey manor house decorated with the white stone as we can learn from some pictures and photos of that time. 

Though the eastern half of the building was gutted by a fire which lasted 3 days in 1907 and only a third of the original building survived, we’re still able to enjoy a plenty of original elements of the building such as picturesque chimneys, stained-glass windows, original structural timber frames, some interior decorations, beautifully dressed fireplaces and the 19th Century Pump Room survives on the first floor of the north-west wing.

George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester DL, known as Viscount Mandeville from 1799 to 1843, was a British peer and Tory Member of Parliament.

On 8 October 1822, George Montagu married Millicent Bernard-Sparrow, the daughter of Lady Olivia Sparrow. This marriage settlement brought together the Sparrow family properties in Huntingdonshire and large rents at Tandragee, County Armagh with the Montagu estate at Kimbolton, then also in Huntingdonshire. The married couple resided at Brampton Park and Kimbolton.

Today we can still see  the Duke of Manchester Coat of Arms above one of the fireplaces in Brampton Park House.

Lady Olivia lived in Brampton Park House until her death in 1863

The third period of the estate's history began after Lady Olivia's death  and continues to the present day.

In 1889 it became an institution for the cure of stammerers and, as mentioned above, was completely burnt down in 1907, when a smaller house was built on the site, which was now the residence of Viscount Mandeville, the 10th Duke of Manchester.

During the first World War, the manor was used to house German prisoners.

At the end of hostilities, the house was restored to Lord Mandeville, who let it for domestic use.

During World War II the house was known as Sun Babies Nursery caring for about 100 babies evacuated from London. It continued in this role until  1942 when the estate was taken over by the United States Army Air Corps.

In 1955 RAF Brampton became a permanent establishment as an operational site under Air Command, providing accommodation and support facilities for a range of lodger units

The RAF left Brampton Park House in 2013.

And now the new chapter begins… be a part of it!

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