Brian and Siobhan O'Rourke owned the Cotton Club and started it in these premises in Rosemary Lane. It acquired a wonderful reputation and I know one seamstress in South Wales who came once every two months to buy her cotton fabric here. After a few years, the shop went across the road into the right-hand side of Duttons and from there it went to the Market Square in the premises that had once been the Central Garage, then Barclays Bank and it was when the bank left the Cotton Club moved in.
John Temple ran this hardware shop for many years and it was brilliant. He always had a smile on his face and worked very hard to stock items that were really wanted.
This newspaper cutting is from April 1st 1983. The anniversary of the Women's League was celebrated by joining with the Mothers' Union for prayers and a celebration tea. The PTA held a bazaar and raised £75 for their funds which in 1983 was a good amount of money. The same day head teacher Malcolm Mason took some of the school's boy to Wembley to see the schoolboys' match against Germany. The wives club monthly meeting had a special speaker called Mr Blue who talked about colour in the home; he had previously worked on the interior of Blenheim Palace.
When Lloyd Hughes Owens created a series of albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s there were people alive who could remember seeing Fred Able in Bampton with his little cart, two donkeys and his dog.
Edith Susan Quick nee Sheppard died on September 10th 2020. Edie came from a Bampton family of several generations. Her husband John was the principal founder member of the SPAJERS, our charity which creates fun events to raise funds for local senior citizens. They include the Shirt Race, Donkey Derby, Josie's Grand Draw and in conjunction with Bampton's fire brigade a wonderful bonfire and firework night. In the past there have been balls in Weald Manor.
The staircase to the top floor of the Grammar School was removed in the 1960s when people stood a greater chance of getting to the ground floor by falling through the rotten floor than coming back down the stairs. The Bampton Community Archive members have worked incredibly hard to raise funds on the back of the tourism boost from visitors flocking to Bampton to see the this building which was used as the Cottage Hospital in ITV's Downton Abbey. The grant from WODC means the work to bring the whole building into good heart can begin.
This picture is of Bell Cottage which was visible briefly across the Market Square after Market Square Garage was completely removed and before Thornberry Flats were built on the site. The people living in the cottage at the time couldn't wait for the flats to go up to regain their privacy. The little lane, known by long-time locals as 'Back of The Bell' got its name from the Bell Inn which used to be where the Village Hall stands today. The Inn was bought by three ladies in 1923 for conversion into the WI Hall. In the 1980s the WI could no longer afford the upkeep of the building and it became the Village Hall ... next to the Town Hall.
This envelope and cutting were lent to the Archive by Freda Bradley. Sundown Cottage was in the grounds of Prospect, the house immediately in front of you as you walk down the lane past the south side of the Grammar School. Mr & Mrs Rose bought it and they bought Prospect. The little cottage was later removed. We don't know why Freda brought the envelope with the cutting; sadly whoever she lent it to didn't record that