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The Nave
History
 The
word nave comes from the Latin word navus - a boat - and reflects not
only the structure but also the traditional idea of the church as the
Ark in which God saved those who trusted in Him. The eight sides of the
font remind us of the eight people who were saved in the Ark from the
flood. The nave, of the Perpendicular period, was built in the first
half of the fifteenth century. There are very fine carvings of foliage
and heads, with human and animal faces in the old oak roof.
The north door is fifteenth century. The original south
door dates from the same period; what remains of it after the fire of
1994 can be seen above the new south door. The remains of the original
carving can still be made out The large opening on the north side of
the chancel arch was discovered some years ago. There are stone steps
leading up to it, which once gave access to a rood loft over the
screen.
 The
fine brass lectern, in memory of a former director of the railway, is a
reminder of the impact of the railway on the local community. The
cantor seats, formerly in the sanctuary and now standing against the
screen, are over 400 years old. The apparent non-alignment of the
chancel, nave and tower is not an error on the part of successive
generations of builders but is a reminder, such as may be found in
other churches, of the figure of Christ on the cross. In this latter
connection it is worth noting the crucifix, which is a modern Swedish
design, hanging above the rood screen.
The font is late fourteenth or early fifteenth century,
but the stem and moulded base are modem. Its wooden cover is
Victorian, carved in the Jacobean style. It was partially destroyed in
the fire of 1994 and has been restored, the new part slightly lighter
than the original. Nearby in the wall is the stone, which
formerly covered the grave of Paulina Jackson, sister of Samuel Pepys.
In the North Aisle, the organ now occupies what was once a side chapel.
The three-manual organ was made by Stringer of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent,
and is one of the finest in the district.
The village War Memorial is the centrepiece of the
three windows. Flanking it are the standard of the local branch of the
British Legion and the silk Union Flag awarded to Brampton in 1940 for
being the most efficient branch in the United Kingdom.
 The Porches
Both north and south porches are fifteenth century but have been
extensively restored. The north door is of unique design being formed
between two of the aisle buttresses. The south porch,
practically rebuilt in 1878 and refurbished in 1995, has been the
principal entrance to the church for centuries, although the Tower
replaced it temporarily in the last century.
The Lady
Chapel The long association with the church of
the Earls of Sandwich and Hinchingbrooke House is especially remembered
in this chapel. It was given, together with many of its ornaments by
the ninth Earl (who was churchwarden for many years) in memory of his
mother Agneta Harriet Montagu, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary
by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Lang, on 23 January 1920.
The painted panel, which forms the front of the altar, is Italian
Renaissance work and dates from the seventeenth century. About the same
age is the memorial in the south east corner, an exceptionally fine
example of the seventeenth century sculpture by Kidner, whose signature
may be found under the base scroll.The east window commemorates sailors
and contains a crucifix in the shape of an anchor and panels of St
Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, together with St Christopher
bearing the Christ-child across the stream. The naval motif is strong
within the Montagu family. The first Earl died at sea in 1672 when his
ship 'Royal James' was burned by the Dutch. The fourth Earl
was First Lord of the Admiralty, having the Sandwich Islands named
after him by Captain Cook, whose voyages he sponsored. Hinchingbrooke
and Brampton Islands, similarly named by Cook, lie off the coast of
Queensland. The adjoining window is of the school of William Morris. In
some windows, as in the chancel, can be seen the Wheat-sheaf and Castle
'signature' denoting the work of Kemp and Tower. The communion rail is
in memory of Drogo Montagu who died in an aeroplane crash in Scotland
one winter during World War II. It bears the extract from the Benedicte
'0 ye ice and snow, bless the Lord'. He was a flamboyant character long
remembered in the village for riding his motorbike and befriending
many. The screen, made by local craftsmen, was the work of Ninian
Comper (who is believed to have designed the pews in the nave) and is
reckoned to be one of his finest pieces of work. The large piscina, the
stone basin for holding holy water, came from Hinchingbrooke, a
Benedictine nunnery in pre-Reformation days.
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