Article Witney Gazette December 12th 2014. William Wheeler, pictured seated at the front was a blacksmith in Bampton. He was killed in WWI at the battle of Aisne
Adrian Simmonds' collection of items donated by Carol Langley. Adrian had a shop in the Market Square. Janet Newman thinks the date is more likely to be 1916. William (Bill) Lock's building company were doing lots of building work in Bampton at that time. Charlie Lay (1895) was a stone mason living at Mill Green. He was the father of Alfred Lay and Walter Lay, both of whom died in WW1 and commemorated on the War Memorial. He was father of Ted Lay who was married to Ruth Pocock, sister of Harry Pocock. Fred Lay (1897) was also Charlie's son. Thomas Dipper (1850) was a bricklayer and lived in Mill Street. The only one I'm not sure about is H. Lock. William's brother Herbert had worked on the building with his brother but emigrated to Canada, returning to Bampton to marry, Marjorie in 1918, only to be killed at Aulnoy, in France a few months later. It's possible that H. Lock could have been a relative of William (Bill
Pembrey's department store, High Street T W Pembrey was Bampton's first and only department store. It comprised the building facing across Bushey Row (called New Inn Lane when this picture was taken), the thatched building now called Strawberry Cottage, the building next door and the next one which is just out of the camera shot. (The daughters grew up to run a school for ladies in the house called The Elms which is in Broad Street by the turn up to New Road.) When this picture was taken, which was probably right at the end of the 19th century, the Post Office was in the store. It moved from here to Wheelgate House in the High Street in 1918 where it stayed until 1972. All the buildings seen on the left are now private houses and the one across Bushey Row is (at 2014) Bampton Physiotherapy owned and run by Fiona Farmer
