On May 21st 2014 the Bampton WI banner was hung in the south wing of St Mary The Virgin.The banner was made by Pat Barratt, second from the right, and shows several aspect of Bampton life, notably the Morris dancing,
On February 17th 2016 work began to dismantle the old pipe organ in St Mary's. Douglas Clare, one of our two churchwardens in April 2019 wrote the following article for the May issue of Contact.
John Chipperfield usually has a page in the Witney Gazette where he recalls events in times past. This item recalls the time in 1978 when Susan Morris, pictured at the organ in Clanfield Church played for 10 hours taking turns with John White and John Goodrun. It was to accompany the Flower Festival in the church. Susan is still playing at Clanfield (2019)
In 1978 the vicar looked after both Bampton and Clanfield churches. By 1970, the vicar of the time lived in the vicarage in Bampton and was responsible for the churches not only of Clanfield and Bampton but Lew, Aston and Shifford as well.
In May, 1995, the top of the steeple of St Mary's was repaired and a new mounting for the weather vane was put on. While the vane was down it was re-gilded. These are the two men who did the work.
Rev. Andrew Scott retired from being a vicar, the vicar of Bampton and Clanfield in 1996. With the monetary gift from parishioners he went on a tour of Europe and this is his diary of that holiday.
Robin Shuckburgh has been chairman of Bampton Community Archive for about 8 years (as at 2017) and over-seen the raising of £250,000 to repair the roof of the Old Grammar School in Church View and make the upstairs a usable space again.
St Mary The Virgin Steeple can be seen very clearly from Sandford Field. There are more cottages between the field and the church than exist today. The one on the left is Sandford and has been much enlarged since this picture was taken.
In 1947 no girls were allowed in the choir at St Mary's which was quite normal in most churches at that time. In the summer of 1947 these 9 choirboys were taken on an outing to Southsea as a treat.
On Saturday April 18th 2015 the choir from St Mary The Virgin, Bampton went to Lichfield Cathedral to sing Sung Evensong. Choir master and conductor David New, organist on the day for the choir was John Ridgway.