A Caversham firm want to make a 49 acre marina at Tadpole Bridge on the Thames. WODC lowlands area planning committee are objecting tot he plan because gravel extraction will have to take place first a marina could be built. The decision has been...
This picture must have been taken early in the twentieth century. It shows two ladies, a girl and a boy in charge of a hay cart and shire horse. It is by Meadow Farm along the Buckland Road. The style of cart is that of an Oxford cart.Suzanne W...
These are a collection of records compiled by Lloyd Hughes Owens and cover many aspects of local life and people. 1247 local tithes; 1275 extract from Quo Warranto Roll concerning tenures; 1288 Bond of obligation to pay rent for Vicars' hous...
Celebrating the launch of the nationwide Farm Holiday Bureau are Mr Nick Hooper, Mrs Mary Rouse from Lew and Mr Dick Millard of the English Tourist Board. Nick and Mary were members of the local group, the Thames Valley Farm and Country Holiday g...
This peaceful scene is of an Ayrshire cow enjoying standing in the stream behind The Grange. It must have been taken fairly early in the twentieth century; by 1945 these cows were not often seen where they had once been bred as a general purpose ...
This map of 1797 shows the Bampton Hundred and the fields. There is also a map of St Giles in Oxford at this time. Today, Kelmscott is spelt with two Ts but on this map it has one.
The map is pre Inclosure and covers Clanfield, Bampton, Aston and Yelford. The note with the Yelford map says it was from a map of 1624/5. A note at the right side of the page suggests all these details were pulled together from various sources ...
These two maps were drawn up for the Inclosure of Bampton, 1821. The coloured one is a photograph of a page in the original Inclosure document held at St Lukes in East Oxford.
These three maps are all labelled as 2nd edition 1899. They cover the area Central Bampton, north & south, east nearly to Aston, Black Bourton south to Cowleaze Corner, east to Elephant & Castle in Bridge Street and Mt Owen Rd, west t...
This map is from 1913 and covers the area from Marsh Lane on the eastern edge of Clanfield west across Weald. However, all of Bridge Street, half the Talbot Inn, the west side of the Market Square, the South side of Church Street and Church View ...
This map was produced for a sale by Messrs Knight, Frank and Rutley but sadly it does not say who the owners of the land were. The plots for sale are clearly marked in colour.It is interesting to note there was a Post Office in Lew, between Unive...
The map was produced in 1921. The first map is has been reused to show where council houses were to be built on the south side of New Road and where the sewerage pipes were to be laid to the sewerage works along the Buckland Road.Mains sewerage c...
This map of 1921 covers the area from Plantation south to Cowleaze Corner and east as far as the Elephant and Castle.What was a watercourse off the Highmoor Brook to land with The Deanery can be clearly seen and was used for fish farming.Cobb Hous...
This map was produce by Morre, Allan and Innocent to accompany the sale for 5 residential and agricultural properties May 14th 1962. They are all east and south east of Bampton's main residential area.Lot 1 is Meadow FarmLot 2 is to the nort...
These four maps were all produce in 1971 and coverOrdinance Survey Plan SP3002-3102 Weald, Hayway Lane, Weald St, Clanfield RoadOrdinance Survey Plan SP3003-3103. Bridge St east to end of houses, north to new school, Colvile CloseOrdinance Survey ...
This Ordinance Survey map was produced in 1974 and covers the area from Hobbs buildings/Deanery Farm in the north, due east to Coal Pit Farm, south to Bampton centre, on south to Weald, east to Aston and south to the Radcot Cut and Great Brook and...
This map shows the Bampton Estates at 1789. This is before the fields were enclosed and the names of the people who farmed the strips or the name of the field area are on the map. The Quies fields are each side of the Bampton to Brize Norton roa...
These are two parts of one map created in 1914. I've picked them out to show where the school used to be in Lew, next to University Farm and the Post Office a little to the east just before you get to Trinity Church.
Lower Haddon Farm in the very north of the Bampton area was sold in March 1949. One of these maps was produced by Jackson-Stops of Cirencester the auctioneers and the other was a hand drawn one. They show the names of the fields and what was bei...
In October 2012 the Bampton Environmental Watch Group had a wonderful talk given by John Leighfield on the history of maps and in particular maps of Oxfordshire and Bampton. It was very interesting to note that the first maps of Bampton showed th...
This map was produce for the sale of the Lew Estate in 1914.There used to be a Post Office and a school in Lew, both shown on this map between University Farm and Holy Trinity Church on the main road.
This map was produced in 1922 and shows the field system as well as the parliamentary boundaries as at 1918.There are many interesting notes written on in pencil. The water tower and gas works along the Aston Road were in existence. The allotmen...
This threshing machine was used to thresh the grain from the stooks of corn and was the normal way to do this in the first half of the twentieth century, before the combine harvester did the job as the corn was cut in the field.It was a labour int...
Bampton Morris dancers c1924/5 outside the Elephant & Castle.The sign over the pub door says Posting House, Horses, Carriages, Brakes. Personal attention given, Albert Townsend. The 3rd and 4th lines are hard to read which is a pity but it lo...
Mrs Emmie Hunt having a laugh, sitting in a pram used in a Shirt Race. She is the mother of 'Rocky' ie Ernie Hunt and she's outside one of the barns at Castle View Farm in Bridge Street.She was affectionately known as 'Aunt Em...
Early in the twentieth century, before the advent of the combine harvester, corn was cut and taken away in stooks to be threshed out when convenient. In this picture, a belt from the steam driven tractor drives the threshing machine and there are...
This is the bridge over the Highmoor Brook in Bridge Street. It tends to be called Shillbrook these days but old maps have it as Highmoor and a converted barn by the brook is called Highmoor House.Note the sloping walkway seen on the right. It g...
George Collins and family came to Bampton in 1943 from Somerset when he bought Weald Farm. George lived to be 102 years old and was active almost to the last. The Archive filmed a conversation with George who talked about his farming life and yo...
The debate about whether cows give badgers TB, badgers give it to cows or if the disease is simply in the soil continues as does the debate on whether mass shooting of badgers is the answer. In Oxfordshire, it has been decided that vaccinating th...
Before combine harvesters were the norm, threshing was done any time from November onwards when other harvesting had been done and probably once the cattle had been brought in under cover for the winter. In this picture you can see a steam driven...
Before farmers had large barns to store their hay, they built hayricks and a rick thatcher would come and thatch them to keep the water out. It was a useful way of having a store of food near where it was wanted. This was a skilled job and Bampt...
This charming little cottage used to be called Pedlar's Patch and today is called Sweet Briar. The gate is next to Emmies on Bridge Street and the house is set back from the road, behind other cottages. It was the home of agricultural worke...
1965. This pylon was the framework that once held a windmill on White Owl farm. The farm belonged to Bert and Ted Wilkins. As they were not intending to mend the windmill, Ray Evans from the Royal Corps of Signals based in Weald asked if his am...
Lew House and the attached estate was put on the market in 2019. It could all be sold as one item or lots of land could be purchased separately. This Knight Frank sales brochure gives all the details.
This newspaper cutting talks about the financial problems of the Morgan Brothers. They own and rent much land in Sharney which is close to the Thames SE of Weald, so there is local concern about the farming of their fields.
When work was done at Castle View, which at one time was Castle View farmhouse, a well was found. When the work to modernise was completed, the well was covered over and is now under part of the kitchen.
Witney Gazette March 11th 2015 notes that John Jaques from Bampton has been made chairman of the Under 30s Farmers' Club.John is no relative of Sue Jaques who used to own and run the shop that is now a private dwelling called No4 Town House o...
Leaflet produced January 1st 1947 regarding wild birds. It states which are protected all the time, some at certain times of the year and which birds' eggs may not be taken. By virtue of the Wild Birds Protection Acts 1880-1939 and an order ...
An invoice from R Oakey & Sons Ltd Haulage Contractors and Cattle Conveyors. A load of tied straw from Mr R Smith's farm in Highworth to Ashtree farm in Weald Street. February 10th 1960 Cost £3.Alec had a 7-acre field in Welcome Way on ...
Newspaper clipping from the Witney Gazette April 4th 1958 advertising the weekly cattle market held in Witney. In 1958 there were still trains from Bampton and Brize Norton railway station which made it easy to take cattle, sheep and pigs to the ...
The map shows the area from the allotments north of Bampton down through the centre of Bampton to Primrose Cottages and East as far as the first cottages on the western side of Aston.It is interesting that there are references to Council Houses al...
One of these maps shows the names of the fields and the waterways, important for growing and stocking fish are very clear, the second one is a photograph from a page in the Inclosure document held at St Lukes in Oxford and this shows the propertie...
THE BEAM APRIL 1990. VOLUME 5 NO1. THE TOPICS COVERED :-Morris dancing on Spring Bank Holiday MondayPrefabs built after WWII originally called Portel HousesParish council history and coming elections. The first meeting of Bampton’s Parish ...
This is the sale brochure for The Lew Estate for sale on Wednesday September 23rd 1914. Listed as a compact Freehold Residential and Sporting Property of 614 acres 0 rods and 8 poles.Knight, Frank & Rutley were the auctioneers to be held at t...
By the direction of Mrs Upton, the particulars of the outlying portions of the Lew Estate including capital grazing and corn growing land extending about 365.5 acres with a rent roll per year of £397 4s 3d.Messrs Knight, Frank and Rutley auctionee...
The sales brochure is forMeadow Farm situated close to the river Thames at Tadpole Bridge about 1 1/2 miles south of Bampton lying on either side of Buckland Road - about 380 acres;Ampney Lodge which is the last house on the east end of High Stree...
This is the sales brochure for Calais Farm, sold January 15th 1959 to Bryan Stevens who lived at Lime Tree House in High Street. The farm comprised a modernised farmhouse, farm buildings with modern cowshed, very useful arable and pasture land ex...
A sales brochure for Lower Haddon farm Friday March 11th 1949. It includes the main farmhouse, three cottages and about 380 acres with approximately 48 acres sold subject Air Ministry Requisitioning. This farm is on the south side of what was th...
Sales brochure for The Grange, High Street by Messrs E.J. Brooks & Son on Wednesday April 16th 1930 by order of the executors. Looking at the pencil notes written in the brochure, the sale was withdrawn probably because it failed to reach the ...
The sales brochure for the sale of Weald Farm, Thursday May 13th 1943. It was being sold because farmer Mr W.J. Butt had died and it was bought by George Collins for£9,500.George had come up from Somerset to see a friend who farmed near-by and we...
University Farm was sold freehold by Nuffield College, Oxford on Thursday June 25th 1959 and was bought by Reginald John Rouse of Backhouse Farm for £19,450. The brochure gives all the details of the farm and there is a map showing the fields and...
On right of the two men with the steam roller, Eddie Foreshew's Father (Mr Bishop) who worked on the roads as a road mender. He lived in a hut on wheels in Oxford during the week. He died of TB aged 49.Road workers and steam roller includin...
The dwelling called 'Thatched Cottage' in Church Street was re-thatched in 1963 and again in 1985, the second time by master thatcher Mark Constable.This dwelling is one of the oldest in Bampton and you can read all about it on this webs...
This group of boys are from the local school visiting Weald Farm in Weald Street. Reg Rouse was the farm manager for Mr George Collins. Reg's son Don Rouse says:-"Dad taught the senior boys Farming once a week. So this would be about ...
John Wharton explained:-This is an 1898 Fowler steam roller. But there is a story that goes with it. In 1898 the employees of Fowlers of Leeds went on strike because they objected to their wages being reduced. The Oxfordshire Steam Ploughing Co...
FFF&B (Fairford, Faringdon, Filkins & Burford) Ploughing match in 1983 held at Weald Farm. As well as all types of ploughs and tractors there is always a horse ploughing competition.
A competitor at a hedge laying competition, part of the FFF&B Plough Match in 1979 held at Manor Farm, Broughton Poggs.A well layed hedge is stock-proof, provides a wind break for livestock and will last far longer than any post and rail fence...
The blacksmiths Townsend and Wheeler at Cromwell House in Cheapside. The house in this picture is called Cromwell House and the one immediately to the right of it, just out of the picture is called The Old Forge and it is partly on the main road ...
Percy Sheppard, born 1894, lived and ran a small farm along Buckland Road. He was the father of Edie who became Mrs Edie Quick who was in turn the mother of Fenella.
Jack, Shadrack Buckingham in 1950 sitting on a binder. Jack lived in Spring Cottages along Primrose Lane and worked for Jack Oliver at Backhouse Farm. He has grandchildren Helen Cadd, June Brewer and Richard Buckingham.Don Rouse said"My ear...
Frances and John Henly with their children Roy and Margaret, c1950. John farmed Deanery farm and Hobbs buildings and they lived in Deanery farmhouse in Broad Street.
Don Rouse recalls - "Central Garage was owned by a Mr Fayre at the time Dickie Alan’s was front of shop manager selling bikes oil, petrol etc. Bill Hudson, Frank’s dad was quite high up in the Tractor division. There were so many different ...
The Daniels family had a saddlery shop in Queen Street just after 1900. The little boy on the right is probably the grandfather of Janet Westman nee Bradley, who had drawn many local maps full of information.
Frank Hudson was brought up by his grand parents Albert and Elizabeth Mary Townsend at Castle View Farm in Bridge street after his mother died when Frank was only 7 weeks old. Frank says he had a very happy childhood surrounded by a loving family...
Harry Pocock was the person who owned a thrashing machine and nearly all the local farmers used his services to thrash their corn through the late autumn and winter. He was a very active parish councilor and can be seen in one picture standing wi...
These letters were recovered from a box full of solicitor’s papers. They show the correspondence in 1834 between Rev. B Price of Aston, Bampton, and Mr George Harcourt, who was the Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire from 1831 to 1862. Mr Pryce...
Sam Bennett sharpening a scythe. Sam played fiddle for Francis Shergold's Morris men at Whitsun. He lived in Warwickshire and walked to Bampton. He used to stay with Mr & Mrs Townsend at Castle View Farm and stayed for a while to work on...
Evalyn and Fred Hornby had lived in Bampton for many decades. Fred worked for John Henly and then his son Roy on Deanery farm and Hobbs Buildings and Evalyn worked at University farm for Mary Rouse. Evalyn died in the May and Fred in the August ...
This wonderful lady with the strong, capable looking hands was known as Granny Wiggins. She lived in Weald and collected rushes which she made into flag baskets for the men to carry their tools and lunch to work. They were circles of woven reeds...
The pictures were created from celluloid negatives measuring five inches x four inches created in 1904 that were sent to the Archive by Lucinda Leech. The chairman of the Witney photographic club, Brian Lee, very kindly made positive images out o...
In 1985 Colin Rouse experimented with farming the old fashioned way, using a Ransom thrasher. This meant storing corn still on the stems from harvest time in sheaves, until the old thrashing machine could be used. While it was perhaps great fun,...
Albert Townsend, born c1884 married Mary Elizabeth Portlock born c1881. Early in the 1900s they bought the Elephant and Castle where Albert raised pigs and kept chickens. Towards the end of the 1930s they moved across the road when they bought C...
At the end of 1965 the Bampton branch of the Women's Institute produced this album called "Bampton Today 1965" for an inter-branch competition it is probably the best source anywhere of Bampton in any single year. It covers many su...
Lascelles Gazetteer of Oxon, Bampton. Alphabetical list of trades and professions. Classification of trades and professions. Millers, dairymen and farmers, fellmongers, fishmonger, glove manufacturers, grocers and tea dealers, hair dressers, ha...
The pub in the High Street named The Morris Clown (as at 2018) began life as The George. Steve the present landlord found the ancient wooden name board in the cellar but it fell to dust when he tried to lift it. A long time ago it became the New...
A general view of agriculture in Oxfordshire carried out in 1807 and published in 1813. Secretary of the board. Arthur Young. Rates, thrashing mills and tillage. Drilling, wheat, beans and tares. Cattle and Labour.Bampton and its hamlets of Ha...
1. Seen with a horse and their families, the blacksmiths Townsend and Wheeler are outside their home, Cromwell House in Cheapside. The door to the right of the bay window has since been removed and the wall filled in.2. The blacksmith Mr Cripps...
Frank Hudson was raised by his grandparents, Albert and Mary Elizabeth Townsend who lived at Castle View Farm opposite the Elephant and Castle in Bridge Street. Frank's mother died when he was just 7 weeks old. The pictures show his grandpa...
Harry Pocock with his thrashing machine and tractor in 1958 driving out of Church Street into Broad Street. Edwin, Ruth and Joe Buckingham are on the tractor with him. Before farmers had combine harvesters, Harry went from farm to farm thrashing...
These letters were recovered from a box full of solicitor’s papers. They show the correspondence in 1834 between Rev. B Price, of Aston, Bampton, and Mr George Harcourt, who was the Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire from 1831 to 1862.Mr Pryce,...
Colin Rouse told me:-"The chap helping me carry the sack is Pete Webb, Brian Webb’s brother. They owned a thrashing machine between them but they never got round to finishing the rick. This was such a shame because it was a bumper crop of t...
Bampton was very much enriched by the life of Rose Gerring because she took such an active part in so many areas and you can read about them in the eulogy. The two photographs - one was taken just post WWII at her home Sandford House and the othe...
Lloyd Hughes Owens, headmaster of the National School in Church View up to its closure when the new school opened in 1960 was keen to capture the knowledge and thoughts of the 'Old Folks' of Bampton and this pdf is the result. It covers...
With the dreadful spread of dutch elm disease in the late 1960s and on into the 1970s most trees died and had to be cut down before they blew down. The change in our landscape was very noticeable losing these magnificent trees. These two picture...
The children achieved a wonderful result with their research and the topics covered include:- a typical village; a changing settlement; an iron age settlement; archaeological evidence; the legend of St Frideswide; Domesday book; the manor house; B...
Referred to by all who regularly go to this ploughing match 'three Fs and a B' ie Fairford, Faringdon, Filkins & Burford, the match offers ploughing competitions of very many classes from horses to the most modern reversible ploughs...
Brenda Sapsford came to live in Bampton when she retired from being secretary to David Johnson, the NFU secretary in Witney. She was an active member of the WI in Bampton until its sad demise and she was also a very efficient Parish Clerk in Bamp...
Richard Willmer arrived at Friars Court as a tenant farmer in 1917. He was a successful hay and straw merchant who, at one time, was one of the main hay suppliers to both Great Western Railways and the collieries in Wales. Richard married Mary Hon...
Plantation Cottages were two semi-detached dwellings. If you go from the middle of Bampton towards Clanfield, there is a public footpath just after the last buildings on the right by the 30mph sign. Following that footpath takes you along the si...
Hayrick fires were sadly, a far too common occurrence 100 years ago. Many of the men smoked and steam engines used to drive some machinery spat out sparks which is not a good combination with lovely dry hay and straw. These pictures were taken ...
The Darby and Joan Club was for those who were 60 and over. In 1962 they made a scrapbook of members' memories. Topics covered include:- Morris dancing; Whitsuntide Garlands; the Mummers; Bampton Fair; Bampton Fire Brigade; Church, Chapel a...
Volunteers planted 80 trees allocated to Bampton through the County Council for “Tree Planting year” in the grass by the layby near Cowleaze Corner. The grassy area had been created when the steep bend in the road was removed c1971. Mr Doug Read...
This is the Ledger kept by Mr J A Joyce and the earliest entry is for July 16th 1907. He meticulously heads each page with the name of the person for whom he did work, the date and all the work done. It is a wonderful description of the work don...
These 4 pages list the YouTube web address of the filmed interviews done by the Bampton Community Archive. They are with Dave Rose with Terry Rouse bellringing; Vera Elward talking about Busby's department store; A History of St Mary's ...