The contestants in the Shirt Race are at The Lamb Inn in the Market Square. This Inn was known locally as The Tree because there was a very large Ash tree in the garden.Notice the British Railways timetable on the wall. The Bampton and Brize Nor...
To the right of Cromwell House as seen from the road is The Old Forge, which was as its name suggests the site of a forge at one time but is now a private house, partly in Cheapside and partly in Church Street.Cromwell House may have got its name ...
Witney Gazette, autumn 2015. Call to fund a national memorial for our Ox & Bucks D-Day heroes. Fitting tribute: The design for the memorial to the 2nd Battalion D Company of the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry’s heroic Pegasus Bridge operation ...
This is a class photograph taken about 1930. Vera Elward was then Vera Tanner and she is the blond girl centre front. The remaining 27 pictures are of each child with their name underneathBack row L-R Arthur Beckley, George Bunce, Ronnie Peachy ...
With the rather sad demise of the Bampton branch of the WI the lovely banner, made by Pat Barratt, was officially welcomed and hung in Saint Mary's in Bampton. One picture shows the diminished group of ex Bampton members attending the little...
Bernard Dafter used to live at Home Farm in the High Street. The farm buildings were behind the house and he rented land north of New Road when there were not houses north of the road. Bernard and his wife Phyllis Jean nee Sillman emigrated to t...
Dutton the grocery shop also contained a bank and when the bank became Midland Bank and moved to a property next-door-but one, George moved out of the shop to run the bank full time and sold the grocery business to Bill Mathews. In the photograph...
This is a newspaper article from the Oxford Times June 10th 1960 which talks about the fete held at Weald Manor by kind permission of Mrs A.M. Colvile and her son Major R.A. Colvile. It was to raise funds for the renewal of part of the floor insi...
These children are sitting on the church wall passing time waiting for the bride and groom to come out of the church. The children includeKen LomasStan RadbandEllen CurtisPatricia and Pauline HooperSusan Hunt.
This is a school photograph of a class probably taken in 1944.Pupils named on the photograph includeFred BishopFred BrooksBill DanielsBrian SaddlerBob HuntDennis GreenBrian BarnettIvy WhitlockAmelia WrightDiane SaddlerJacqueline NicholsonDoreen Cl...
This is a picture of Bampton Town's football club in the 1918-1919 season.The man in the stripped top next to the man in the bowler hat is Bill Hudson.
This newspaper cutting from the Oxford Mail of 1955 covers the 3rd Great Shirt Race to be held in Bampton, the first one being part of the celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The race was started by firing a double barrel...
These adverts are all taken from the November 2010 issue of The Beam.1. Trevor Gardner, General Carpentry, fitted kitchens & bedrooms, door fitting, new locks, painting & decorating.2. Bampton Fax Bureau. Call in and send a fax message, ...
W Payne & Son, Great Western Railway Co Agents, Bampton and Lechlade. Cab & Omnibus Proprietors, horses, brakes, carriages etc for hire. Cartage contractors and furniture removers. Chief office The Hill, Witney Oxon. Railway depots Bampton...
This picture was taken in the late 1950s or very early 1960s. The names of the people are all printed on the photograph and includeTony AllamJohn MarstonVernon CannonsTed HardingGeoff WilsonJim SweetinghamJim BartonGeorge DafterChris TimmsFred Mi...
Lloyd Hughes Owens encouraged some of his past pupils who had left school to form the 'Old Bamptonians hockey team.'Going from left to right, they are1. Monica Newman2. Janette Keyte3. Gail Govier4. Jean or Sally Addison5. ?6. Bernadette...
This obituary was in The Guardian newspaper January 13th 2009. Francis was born on January 31st 1919 and died on November 27th 2009. The article was written by Derek Schofield.
The Bampton WI Drama Group under Hilda Pickard put on many plays and pantomimes which were always brilliantly done and greatly enjoyed.This shows the cast members of Babes in The Wood and The Plot Thickens, two short plays done either side of the ...
'One Hour To Dusk' was a thriller performed before the interval and the light-hearted 'Poor Mr Shakespeare' afterwards, by the Bampton WI Drama Group produced by Hilda Pickard.All the WI Drama Group plays produced by Hilda were...
The Witney Gazette March 11th 2015 mentioned photographer Barry Dale and potter Crabby Taylor who held their show 'Secrets Disclosed' in the West Ox Arts Gallery upstairs in the Town Hall.
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...
Witney Gazette June 24th 2015.Peter Davis from Church Street put on a detailed and very interesting exhibition for the Bampton Community Archive in the Old Grammar School, Church Close about the Witney Airfield. The only suggestion of an airfield...
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.Gentleman left to right Andrew Hiche...
The wedding of George Frederick Lomas and Lillian Frances Ody at St Mary The Virgin, Bampton c1938. They lived in Belgrave Cottages, Church Street until the late 1990s when Fred, then a widower moved to a bungalow in Manor View. They are both bu...
The garage in the Market Square was in existence at the start of the C20th when Oliver Onesipherous Collett owned and ran it. Around the middle of the twentieth century it was bought by Len Hughes and it's interesting to note that he left th...
A brief history of Weald Manor• An Academy for young gentlemen is mentioned in 1790• Followed by John Beechey's Mansion House Academy in 1815 which moved into Weald Manor in the 1820s and closed in the late 1850s. In 1830 it was called a &#...
The Eulogy by Tony Page's son Martin, gives a full account of his life. For us in Bampton Tony was in at the beginning of the Bampton Community Archive and did all the printing for the charity up to his death. It was through Tony's shea...
This photograph, taken in 1922 according to the date on the bottom right corner, is of a class at Bampton National School in Church View. It is sad that we don't know the names of any of the children in the picture. The picture was lent to t...
Brigadier Rupert Crowdy OBE served in the army in India and Burma and afterwards he organised the 'shipping' of coal into Berlin during the Berlin Siege. In 1962 he was appointed Aide-de-Camp to the Queen.
This article appeared in the Memory Lane section of the Witney Gazette March 4th 2015. It recalls a time when local residents lost patience waiting for Oxfordshire County Council to organise cleaning of the road-sides. So the council and other l...
2f. Castle farm. Barn or railway carriage in the farmyard behind the visiting Headington Quarry Morris dancers in 1949. George Hunt is the fool.2k. Jingy Wells with Bertie Clark, Bill Kimber, Sam Bennett and several named Bampton people.2o. Ear...
A newspaper cutting from 1972 reporting on a WI meeting in March where the theme of the evening was 'A Russian Evening.'A new member was welcomed and Jean Howell agreed to be their representative at the AGM in London at the Albert Hall ...
This newspaper cutting from 1972 which talks about the events at several clubs in Bampton.The Women's Institute and Women's Legion trip to RAF Brize Norton.Badminton Club.Numismatic SocietyDarby & Joan ClubSchool Fete
I was given these to pictures in digital format when I took over being Archivist, with no indication of who lent them to the Archive to scan, what the occasion was or the date. If anyone can help please contact the Archive via the link on the fro...
Some questions were put by Janet Rouse to Janet Newman about Constables the Bakery on the west side of the Market Square. Tony Allam's name should have been spelt with an A not a U.
A postcard with 5 views of Bampton including The War Memorial, the South side of the Market Square, south east aspect of St Mary The Virgin, The Highmoor Brook having gone under the road by Brook House and Town Hall with Market Square Garage in th...
A view along Church View in the late 1960s with St Mary's at the north end. Not a car in sight which is something you won't see now unless Downton Abbey are filming here.
An airmail letter from B Howse in Christchurch New Zealand to Mrs Townsend at Ashtree farm in Weald April 1969. Mrs Townsend was originally the widow Mrs Sollis from The Swan.
An invoice from Cook and Boggis of Witney August 24th 1923 for achest of drawers,2 bedroom chairs,1 wash stand,1 bowl and 1 bucketfor the total sum of £4 7s 5d four pounds thirty seven pence and a half penny.This was lent to the Archive to copy by...
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 ...
This is an invoice to Mr Alex Townsend of Ash Tree farm in Weald Street from the undertakers M Long and Sons after dealing with the body of his wife Elizabeth Ann Townsend.May 24th 1963.Cemetery fee £3,Vicar's fee £1,use of church and caretak...
Local newspaper. 1967. Marriage of Colin Reginald Rouse of Backhouse farm Bampton and Pauline Joy Marriott at St Britius church Brize Norton on October 7th. The reception for 80 people was held in the Victory Hut in Brize Norton. The photograph is...
From a Local newspaper. Feb 1968. Report of the AGM of Bampton Branch of the British Legion along with the Women's section. President Capt C R Radclyffe; Chairman P Mathem; vice chairman E Spurrett; secretary John Quick; standard bearer W Jac...
Mr Oswald Bartlett the day before his 100th birthday with his wife Doris. They lived in Field Cottage which is the church end of Sandfords Field. He was born in 1877 when Queen Victoria still had 24 more years to go on the throne.Cars have been ...
In June 1976 Rev Derek Frost became the new vicar of the newly created parish of Bampton with Clanfield including Aston, Lew and Shifford.One of the cuttings from the Witney Gazette June 1976 says ... History was made at Bampton on Tuesday of last...
Newspaper cuttings from the Oxford Times 1999.The thatched eastern end of Knapps farmhouse was originally built as a timber framed medieval hall in the C14th. The stone walled section built under a slate and thatched roof was built in the C17th a...
Newspaper clipping from the Witney Gazette April 11th 1958.J L Hughes Owens recalls a time during the Boar War when a Bampton resident got a telegram from his son in London saying Mafeking had been relieved. The townsfolk went wild with much drink...
A leaflet has been sent to every house asking for help, done under the guidance of Rev. J Fletcher-Campbell, the rural dean; early to mid 1970s to raise funds for urgent repairs to St Mary's.
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 ...
Newspaper cutting re the wedding of Miss Rose Bishop and Mr Cyril Greenway in the last quarter of 1949. Rose was a sister of Emmie Papworth nee Bishop. The service was conducted by the Rev. C.O. Price assisted by the Rev C. Sutton the Methodist M...
Newspaper cutting re the wedding of Mary Rose Gerring of Sandford House and Jeffrey John Mcdougall August 1st 1975. Rose's parents were Arthur and Rose Gerring, farmers.
Bampton with Lew church news sheet for September 1951. Thoughts from Cyril C Kelway, vicar.Harvest thanksgiving service; copy of notice to be found in the church porch where the PPC invites applications for the post of Clerk and Sexton; the choirG...
Bampton with Lew church news sheet for June 1951. Letter by Cyril C Kelway, vicarTopics include Church spring-cleaning; Confirmation; Guild of St Mary's; visiting preachers.From the registers, Holy Baptism of1. Geraldine Mary daughter of Herb...
This is the milk ration book for Frederick Gerring, born June 26th 1951 and living with his parents Rose and Arthur Gerring at Sandford House, Church View.
This is the Welfare Foods Service Entitlement Book for Frederick Gerring at Sandford House 1951-1955. Orange juice & vitamins. His date of birth on the front cover is June 26th 1951. It was for Orange Juice and Cod Liver Oil.
This is the clothes ration book for Rose F Sollis who lived at The Swan Inn in Buckland Road.The book had to be handed to the shopkeeper for him or her to take out the appropriate coupon; it was illegal for a shopkeeper to accept loose coupons. ...
Rationing continued long after the end of WWII. As some items became more plentiful they were taken off ration but as this book belonging to Rose Gerring shows, meat, fats, cheese, bacon and sugar were still on ration in 1953-54.The supplier of e...
Long after the end of WWII there was food rationing. As certain items became a little more plentiful they were removed from rationing but as late as 1954 some items were still on ration.This is a ration book, what is left of it, that belonged to ...
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. Back row L-R Bill Daniels, Philip Addison,...
These two letters were written to Rose Sollis by Arthur Gerring who was in the army in India during WWII. They married when Arthur came home after demob.The writing is beautiful, both content and visually.
These are 4 letters from a Mrs Roberts in Wantage to Mrs Sollis at The Swan Inn in Buckland Road. It looks as if Mrs Sollis has shown interest in buying a property from Mrs Roberts. The final letter tells Mrs Sollis the cottage has been sold to ...
In 1963 Mrs Sollis decided she would sell The Swan Inn in Buckland Road. She had been a widow for several years and had happily met and fallen in love with Alec Townsend of Ash Tree farm in Weald Street. They were to marry and she moved to the f...
Letter dated July 31st 1963 from Thornton Baker & Co chartered accountants to Mrs Sollis at The Swan Inn, Buckland Rd enclosing a "fair copy of your accounts to the 4th April, 1963, the date you ceased trading.
Meryl Hobbs taught in Bampton almost all her life and it was after she retired that she met and married Norman. This letter is from them to Rose Gerring thanking her for their wedding gift which would appear to be money to spend on anything they ...
1. Letter dated August 31st 1932, from Clinch & Co Ltd Eagle Brewery Witney to Mrs Bunce at The Swan Inn, Buckland Road. They request forms to be signed and posted back by return along with her magistrate's certificate of licence and sh...
Mr & Mrs Harry Sollis owned and ran the Swan Inn in Buckland road for many years. In the last few years, Mrs Sollis ran it as a widow. Emmie Papworth, nee Bishop was a relative and adored Mrs Sollis; Emmie is seen with here in two of these p...
Mr & Mrs Sollis owned and ran the Swan Inn, in Buckland Road. These are the accounts and a covering letter from their accountant, Thornton & Thornton in Witney and the accounts themselves for year ending March 31st 1951.You will gather fr...
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...
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...
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...
This is the 2nd of two articles in successive issues of Country Life magazine July 1946. There are pictures of the Grammar School which now houses the library and the exhibition space called the Vesey room used by Bampton Community Archive and We...
This is the first of two articles in successive weeks in Country Life magazine July 1946. This article talks about the architecture of Bampton with pictures of the Market Place, the early Victorian Town Hall, Morris Dancing, Lime Tree house, Thom...
It was not uncommon for the firemen to take one of their appliances to fetes. The firemen and women were keen to explain what was on the appliance and in particular to explain to children. In this picture left to right areRay Green, John Wixey, ...
The WI Drama group put on at least one excellent play or pantomime each year for several years under the guidance of Hilda Pickard. This is Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp. The cast was1. Lynne Rouse2. Carol Hampton3. Sandra Foster4. Sylvia Barne...
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 ...
Jason Seacole is handing the Jubilee Cup to Liam Burnside of West Witney after they won the Bampton 6-aside tournament. In the background is Michael Irvin who did much along with Ken East to help the boys' football sides in Bampton. Ken was...
John Knight comes from a family of Bampton dancers of the Morris in Bampton. Behind him in this picture just holding hankies is Roy Dommitt who worked at the High Down Rocket Test Site on the Isle of Wight. He was one of the most senior engineer...
There are many interesting aspects to this picture. There are three members of the Green family in the team, Frederick, Jim and Henry. Ten are in whites, Tim Fox looks as if he is an umpire but the clothing on the Talbot Licensee Mr Norman gives...
These are really good, old photographs showing members of the Tanner, Flux, Poole, Butler and Elward families from around 1900 through the twentieth century. The family group photograph of 'Buscot' Tanner shows him with his sons in unif...
On June 16th 1962 the last train from Witney to Fairford passed through Bampton and Brize Norton station. The newspaper cuttings give a good history of this railway line. In Bampton, there used to be a railway timetable on the wall next to the L...
Frank Purslow had previous sent a letter to the Witney Gazette that was far from complimentary about Jingy Wells and it made many Bamptonians cross. He was challenged about it by Bobby Wells, Jingy's son and this letter to the Gazette follow...
