This article refers to the small town near Carlisle. For the village of Brampton in Eden, Cumbria, see Brampton, Eden, Cumbria.

Brampton is a small market town in Cumbria, England founded in the 7th Century about 14 km east of Carlisle and 2 Roman miles south of Hadrian's Wall. It is situated next to the A69 road. Brampton railway station, about a mile outside the town itself, is located on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway.

St Martin's Church is famous as the only church designed by the Pre-Raphaelite architect Philip Webb, and contains one of the most exquisite sets of stained glass windows designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and executed in the William Morris studio.

History

Hadrian's Wall runs slightly to the north of Brampton. When the first this wall in the west of England, originally "turf and timber were preferred on the Solway plain, where stone is scarce", according to C.Michael Hogan.^[1] Later some stones were imported to augment the wall and its associated forts.

The town itself was founded in the seventh century AD.^[2]

During the 1745 Jacobite Rising, Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed in the town for one night, marked by a plaque on the wall of the building (a shoe shop) currently occupying the location. The Capon Tree Monument outside the town centre was the scene of the 1746 hanging of six of Bonnie Prince Charlie's supporters.

In 1817 the Earl of Carlisle, built the octagonal Moot Hall, which is in the centre of Brampton and houses the Tourist Information Centre. It replaced a 1648 building which was once used by Oliver Cromwell to house prisoners.

Much of Brampton consists of historic buildings built of the local red sandstone. The rest was built somewhat later, out of concrete.

One part of Brampton is known as New Jerusalem primarily due to the flat roofs which surround the area. It is home to a playing field, a basketball court and many William Howard students during lunch breaks.

Telephone numbers

Many business and residential lines in the Brampton area still retain four digit telephone numbers, the only known public telephone exchange in the UK to do so, consequently databases often incorrectly place the last seven of the area code in front of the subscribers number i.e. 01697 75555 instead of 016977 5555.

Education

Brampton's secondary school is William Howard William Howard School (William Howard Website). The school's Headmistress is Lorrayne Hughes. The school was named Irthing Valley School until 1980 when it was amalgamated with Brampton's White House School and took on a larger catchment area, with pupils from as far away as Alston and Penrith. White House School was turned into flats and its playing fields strewn with houses.

William Howard school is also host to "Brampton Live" every summer, an ever growing music festival that has, since its first appearance in 1995, become the largest folk/roots/world music festival in the north of England. Major artists in previous years have included The Levellers, The Waterboys, Egudo Embako, Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega, Loudan Wainwright III, Altan, Tommy Emmanuel and more. Despite heavy rainfall causing a mudbath at 2007's festival, the quality of music and service won festival-goers over. Its contribution to Brampton's economy during the three days it runs is undoubted, and it remains a highlight of the musical calendar in the North.

The town's primary school was born from the junior and infant schools on September 1st 2008. Brampton Primary School. The headteacher of Brampton Junior School is Geof Walker.

See also

• Irthington
• Laversdale

References

External links

• www.bramptonlocal.co.uk Brampton Local- latest news, sport and community information for Brampton
• www.border-wall.com A website for the people of the border. Carlisle and surrounding - user contributions from the people of Brampton
• brampton-bugle.co.uk The Brampton Bugle - "news that really matters" - apparently

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