Welcome
This year 2025, Brampton marks the 250th anniversary of Lady Olivia Bernard Sparrow — a philanthropist, landowner and benefactor whose initials, O.B.S., are still carved into our village streets. O.B.S ‘250’ is a community project that brings her legacy out of the background and into public imagination.
What’s happening?
Across the weekend (Sat 25th / Sun 26th October 2025) you’ll find a free programme of events: a poster trail around the village, a self-guided walking map, and a public session at the Lady Olivia Centre. Alongside these are talks, displays and opportunities for residents, families, schools and walking groups to connect with Olivia’s story in new ways.
How to take part
This is an invitation to walk, look, and share. Alongside a schedule of events, visitors are invited to download the map and explore at their own leisure. From the poster trail to the Lady Olivia Centre, you’ll encounter fragments of a life reimagined through art, architecture, and community culture. Free to all, fully accessible, and open to every age group.
Tickets & Access
Admission to all OBS 250 events are free, but advance booking is recommended — particularly if you require seating or wheelchair-accessible spaces. Where tickets for certain sessions (see full programme below) have reached capacity, we will do our best to offer tickets to an alternative event during the weekend.
1775—2025
Olivia’s life in Brampton
Lady Olivia Bernard Sparrow (née Acheson) was an Anglo-Irish landowner and philanthropist who, after being widowed in 1805, poured her energy into Brampton and the surrounding region. She inherited estate interests (including Brampton Park) and used her position to champion education, welfare, and architecture. In 1821-22 she commissioned Thomas Steadman Whitwell to rebuild parts of Brampton Park House; further design work in 1825 was done by John Buonarotti Papworth, including creation of entrance lodges and a coach house. Olivia’s influence is visible in stone and structure throughout the village — her initials “O.B.S” mark schools, walls, and homes she helped establish or reform.
Family, faith, friendships & legacy
Born eldest daughter of Arthur Acheson, 1st Earl of Gosford, and Millicent Pole, Olivia was deeply religious and evangelical, supporting dozens of societies devoted to education, moral reform, and relief of the poor. Her daughter Millicent married Lord Mandeville, linking estates and influence, and Olivia engaged with noted reformers like Hannah More and William Wilberforce. She backed schools in Brampton and elsewhere, personally oversaw the staffing of instructors (notably Ridley Haim Herschell in 1835–36), and built cottages for those in need. Her legacy lives on not just in buildings and initials, but in a spirit of compassion, service, and belief in bettering lives — a presence people still feel walking through the village.
Saturday 25 October, 2025
12:00–14:30 — ‘O.B.S Opening Event’
The Lady Olivia Centre, 85 Central Avenue, Brampton PE28 4QL
Join us for the official opening of ‘Walk with Olivia’. This special session brings together guest speakers, projected visuals, and the first public ‘live streamed’ play of our new O.B.S podcast. It’s an opportunity to discover Olivia’s story through design, culture, and conversation. Admission is free, but numbers are limited, so please reserve a place in advance.
14:30 onwards — ‘Collect Your FREE O.B.S Architecture Map’
After the opening event, visitors are invited to take away a specially-designed Culture Map of Brampton. The map highlights key O.B.S locations across the village, encouraging families, schools and residents to explore at their own pace. Children can enjoy the “Five Stops Challenge” — tick off five sites and claim a free architectural poster to take home, with a colouring design on the reverse. Maps and posters will be available to download online or to collect from participating venues throughout Brampton.
16:00–17:00 — ‘O.B.S Arts Reception - In Conversation’
Brampton Picture Framing Gallery, 65 High Street, Brampton PE28 4TQ
A small reception hosted at the Brampton Picture Framing Gallery. Visitors will be invited to view special-edition O.B.S posters and other art created for the weekend and to browse a selection of merchandise, to help fund a heritage plaque . The session also includes a short in-conversation segment about the design process behind the posters and the wider OBS 250 project.
Weekend Programme
Below you’ll find the outline of events taking place across Brampton as part of OBS 250 – Walk with Olivia. The programme is designed to be flexible and inclusive, covering different venues and moments around the village. Times and details may be subject to change, but every activity is free to join and open to all ages.
Sunday 26 October, 2025
10:30–12:00 — ‘O.B.S' Coffee Morning’
The Brampton Institute, 74 High Street, Brampton PE28 4TH
A community coffee morning organised in partnership with the Brampton Institute. An open invitation to meet neighbours, share stories and memories of O.B.S, and explore historic photographs and documents. It’s an informal and welcoming space to connect with others and reflect on Olivia’s continuing influence in the village.
13:00–15:00 — ‘O.B.S Brampton Church Open Session’
St Mary Magdalene Church, Church Road , Brampton PE28 4PF
In collaboration with the Brampton Historical Society. The church will open its doors for visitors to view memorial stones and tributes to the Sparrow family, including details of O.B.S’s role in Brampton’s spiritual and civic life. Members of the Historical Society will be on hand to answer questions and guide visitors through the building’s connections to Olivia’s legacy.
15:30 — ‘O.B.S’ Legacy for the Future (Venue TBC)
To round off the weekend, we invite visitors and residents to join an informal ‘pub’ gathering about how Brampton might commemorate Lady Olivia Bernard Sparrow in a more permanent way. One idea is to petition for a heritage plaque or marker at a site connected to her life. A book of signatures will be available for those who would like to support this proposal, which will then be presented to the Parish Council.
This is not a conclusion, but an opportunity to carry Olivia’s legacy forward together.
Share your Stories…
Your connection to O.B.S
Do you have a memory, photograph, or family connection linked to Lady Olivia Bernard Sparrow or Brampton’s past? Maybe you live in an O.B.S house. We’d love to include local voices in the OBS ‘250’ archive. Upload your stories, images, maybe a poem or a personal reflection — they might feature on the trail, in our displays, or as part of the ongoing O.B.S legacy project.
Thank you to all our supporters, volunteers and local advisors:
