This Frog Prince was made by Jo Lewington. I asked her to tell me about it and she said :-

"This dates from my sculptor phase in the ‘80s. I made 3 or 4 of these. One was sent to the head of a fashion house in California ( I remember it as Mr Gucci , but that can’t be right, but he was famous). I think the one in the picture went to another rich American. I can’t remember what happened to the rest but there is one somewhere in the Cotswolds. I made postcards and a leaflet and distributed them around Chelsea Garden Show, but at that time I was off to India for a year and my career as a sculptor ended."

This is the Bampton Directory published in 1993. It lists all the services, clubs, societies and organisations to be found in Bampton along with the contact details. Advertisers who support the publication are :-

Spar, grocery shop
Electric Vehicles
Farmhouse Hotel & Restaurant, Lew
Rouse Pianos, keyboard lessons, piano tuning, soloist available
Elephant & Castle Inn, plus accommodation
Steve Rees, plumbing & heating
Bampton Cars, short and long distances
Centre for complementary medicine
A Simmonds, bread, cakes, general groceries, toiletries, pet food
L A Wootton, visiting chiropodist
Martin Drew, chiropodist
Cancer Research Campaign
Girobank
Bampton Driving School
Day & Partners, veterinary surgeons
Hazel & Phil Shaw, B&B
Boarding Kennels
M H Thomas, building landscape gardens, fencing, supplier of cut flowers
A P Sykes, B F Sinson & Associates, Dental Surgeons
Emmies, newsagent, tobacconist, confectioner
A Garage Door Associates, supply, fit, automation, repairs etc
C L Baker, extensions, porches, conservatories, UPVC fascia & guttering
The Cotton Club, natural fabrics
Countryman Building Ltd., builders & property maintenance
Frank D Stanger, solicitor
N Woodley, building maintenance, extension, roofing, electrical, plumbing
Romany Inn, accommodation, restaurant
Andrew Bowman, master thatcher
Bubbles, dog grooming
McKenzie Brown, domestic & commercial heating, plumbing, electrical work
J Temple, hardware, DIY, fancy goods, toys
K J Mullis, plumbing and heating
P Lewis, electrician
R Cooper, builder, painter, carpentry, general repairs, dry stone walling
E Taylor & Son, funeral directors, Carterton & Witney
Health Matters, shop, homeopathic remedies, health foods, cosmetics, perfumes

This is the Bampton Directory for 2006. It lists all the services, clubs, societies and organisations to be found in Bampton along with the contact details.
For the first time there are no advertisers.

This is the December 1998 issue of The Beam. A publication by the Parish Council that is produced 3 times a year and given free to all households in Bampton. Topics and advertisers are :-

The Bampton Beam
Volume 13 No.3
August 1998 Pg. No. Summary of Content

1 One article on page one.
BAMPTON’S GOT ONE AT LONG LAST – A BUS SERVICE INTO OXFORD. Bus Route 18 – By Jonathan Phillips –District Councillor. Including timetable.
2 Three articles and one advert on page two.
BAMPTON VILLAGE HALL – advert.
Bampton Village Hall. Don Quixote de la Mancha.
FRIENDS OF ST MARY’S BAMPTON.
BAMPTON FIRE STATION Still Under Threat!
3 Nine articles on page three all under title ‘BAMPTON PARISH COUNCIL NEWS’.
Traffic Calming.
Police.
Allotments.
Pavilion.
Land between Aston Road and Buckland Road.
Millennium.
STOP PRESS! Traffic Calming Update.
Help required to set up an Indoor Bowls Club.
THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION POPPY APPEAL Bampton and Lew
4 Nine adverts on page four.
Toby Vines.
E. TAYLOR & SON FUNERAL DIRECTORS.
Market Square Garage, Bampton.
THE CROP SHOP – TOO
N. WOODLEY BUILDING MAINTENANCE.
BAMPTON FAX BUREAU.
THE APPLIANCE DOCTOR.
Curtain Choice.
BEAMTECH
5 One article on page five.
NEWS FROM THE BAMPTON MILLENNIUM COMMITTEE – including form entitled ‘BAMPTON MILLENIUM COMMITTEE’.
6 Five articles on page six.
THE WITNEY AND BURFORD HOSPITAL CAMPAIGN.
AGE CONCERN
LIGHTS OF LOVE
West Oxfordshire Citizen Advocacy.
VOLUNTEER LINK-UP
7 on page seven.
MISSING
8 on page eight.
MISSING
9 One article on page nine.
BAMPTON PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP Taking care of their early years
10 One article on page ten.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
11 One article, one advert and one cartoon on page eleven.
W.R.S.V. by Jean Howell, Bampton / Aston Organiser
Sharing the Caring with community care – advert.
Bampton Bill – cartoon.
12 Four adverts on page twelve.
STE-MARK WINDOW CLEANERS & PRESSURE WASHERS
PHILIPPA RAYNE – Registered Osteopath. FIONA GEARY – Physiotherapist. LESLEY MELLIN – Reflexologist. Aromatherapist.
THE PUMPKIN CLUB CHRISTMAS BINGO
ARGOSY BLINDS
13 Three articles on page thirteen.
LAVENDER FLATS Written by Mrs Joan Smith
THE MUMMERS ARE BACK!! By Don Rouse.
This is a story about the life of a Labrador pup called Mandy-Jane.
14 Two articles on page fourteen under the title THE GARDENING PAGE.
BAMPTON GARDENING CLUB NEWS.
WEED’S AND WHAT TO DO WITH THEM By Edie Bindweed
15 Two articles on page fifteen.
ARCHITECTURE ROUND BAMPTON Written and drawn by Gilbert Marsh. Garden Gates in Bampton.
What’s happening in Market Square.
16 One article on page sixteen.
ROYAL AIR FORCE, BRIZE NORTON Do we Care! By Flight Lieutenant Adrian Dant M Inst. Pet. RAF Station Environmental Protection Officer.
17 Two articles and one advert on page seventeen.
New Boss for Signals Units Released by Flight Lieutenant Dave Rowe, Community Relations Officer.
REMEMBRANCE DAY by Mrs E. Quick, an Ex-service Great Grandmother.
OLD PILOTS, BOLD PILOTS by Archie Jackson – advert for book.
18 Eight articles on page eighteen under the title ‘NOTICE BOARD’.
BUSH CENTRE.
BAMPTON EXHIBITION FOUNDATION.
THE PUMPKIN CLUB CHRISTMAS BINGO.
BAMPTON BRIDGE CLUB.
BAMPTON WELFARE TRUST
THE CHILDREN’S SOCIETY
SOMEWHERE IN BAMPTON SOMETHING LURK’S
BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA
19 Four articles on page nineteen under the title ‘NOTICE BOARD’.
FOXBURY FARM Books Wanted
BAMPTON YOUTH CLUB
HAWTHORN FARM RIDING FOR THE DISABLED GROUP.
THE BURFORD SINGERS
20 Three adverts on page twenty.
PITSTOP
GREY GABLES GARAGE
Electric Vehicles Ltd.
21 Two articles on page twenty one.
THE COOKERY PAGE By Gilly French. Party Food. General Ideas. Recipes.
THE TAPPERS HIT TOWN by Rachel Piggott
22 One article on page twenty two.
OUT OF WORK FARMER –TURNED AGRICULTURE CORRESPONDENT By Dan Rouse
23 One article and one advert on page twenty three.
Contd ... OUT OF WORK FARMER –TURNED AGRICULTURE CORRESPONDENT By Dan Rouse
24 Five adverts on page twenty four.
New carpets fully fitted.
ANDREW BOWMAN MASTER THATCHER.
CHENNELLS
R. COOPER
A. SIMMONDS The Old Fashioned Village Store.
25 One article on page twenty five.
LETTERS TO : AUNTIE BEAM
26 Three ads on page twenty six.
BAMPTON ENVIRONMENTAL WATCH GROUP by Margaret Bruce-Mitford
CARPENTER home improver
D&K Building Services
27 Two adverts on page twenty seven.
Select Blinds
Farmington STONE Company
28 Three adverts on page twenty eight.
CARPENTER / HOME IMPROVER
SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BAMPTON
D & K BUILDING SERVICES
29 One article on page twenty nine.
WEST OXFORDSHIRE ARTS ASSOCIATION NEWS AND EVENTS
30 One article on page thirty.
Macmillans Cycling Challenge by Jo Lewington
31 Three articles on page thirty one.
THE ROBERT VESEY ROOM BAMPTON LIBRARY
W.O.A.A. Highlights July, August and October by Margaret Bruce-Mitford
32 One advert on page thirty two.
Bampton Youth Club
33 Three articles on page thirty three.
Competition Corner August winner 1998
THE BAMPTON BEAM NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
THE BAMPTON BEAM’S CROSSWORD
34 One advert on page thirty four.
Piggott’s School of Dance
35 Three articles on page thirty five.
Diary of Forthcoming Events
BAMPTON DIRECTORY 1999
THE BAMPTON BEAM – publishing information
36 One advert on page thirty six.
BAMPTON SMALL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

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 intensive job with people taking stooks from the pile, others lobbed them on to the top where yet more people fed them into the machine. Two ladies and a man can be seen on top of the threshing machine doing this part of the job.

At least one person hooked sacks on to the back to catch the grain while others gathered up the straw and chaff. The straw would have been used for bedding animals under cover in winter and some used as feed.

The whole machine was belt driven - no protection - with power from a steam engine which had men keeping it going in good order. With a live fire in the steam engine, it's no wonder there were fires in the ricks from time to time.

There are 13 people working in this picture. Some have bailing string tied round their calves, probably to stop rats running up as the rick was slowly dismantled.

A threshing machine is nearly always seen working at the Fairford, Faringdon, Filkins & Burford ploughing match held the last Saturday in September on a farm within 16 miles of Lechlade.

Dr Alan Cole was in the practice in Bampton for many years. In this picture you can see his on-call alarm in his top pocket.

Colin Harold Bathe died on May 8th 2011 at the age of seventy three. His close friend David John Titchener, widely known as Curly, preceded him by just a few months dying at the age of seventy six on January 20th 2011. Both were well known in the area around their home town of Swindon for numerous activities relating to sports and motorised vehicles, but it is their involvement with traditional music, Morris dancing and song for which they will be remembered by Bampton people.

The article gives you far more information about these two men.

There was a very full program of events that took place throughout Bampton from Saturday June 2nd to Tuesday June 5th.
This is the full list of the events.

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 in 1833 which is post Inclosure, which for the Bampton area was 1821. I can't work out what maps were used for the non-Yelford map but it says HHH is Aston 1771.