Freda Bradley wrote a lovely book called 'Bampton; The Way It Was.' These are photographs of her parents and grandparents and of Freda when young with her brothers Jim and Ken with their grandmother Mrs Dewe, taken in 1937.

The outbreak of Coronavirus in 2020 has caused devastation to the way of life all around the world. New restrictions and advice were being given daily by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and two specialist advisers each day at 5pm from the week beginning Monday March 16th 2020.

It was announced during this week that all schools were to close but the pupils of key workers could still go to nominated schools to allow their parent to continue with his or her essential job. Also, pupils who would normally have free school meals would be able to go in order to have at least one square meal per day.

On Friday, the list of key workers was published and this article from the on-line Witney Gazette lists those key workers.

An instruction from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York this week said there would be no services until the risk of catching coronavirus has passed. Weddings can take place with a maximum of 5 people attending but that did not say if it was the bride and groom and the clergy plus two, or those 3 plus 5. Not helpful.

George Collins and family came to Bampton in 1943 from Somerset when he bought Weald Farm. George lived to be 102 years old and was active almost to the last.

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.

Workhouse yard in Weald was a row of 6 cottages, two faced the road and four went at right angles away from the road. The two which faced the road were demolished at least as early as 1968.

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.

Bampton Morris dancers c1924/5 outside the Elephant & Castle.

The sign over the pub door says Posting House, Horses, Carriages, Brakes. Personal attention given, Albert Townsend. The 3rd and 4th lines are hard to read which is a pity but it looks like 'For Hire All Trains Met On The Shortest Notice.

On 23rd September 1935 the Townsend family moved across the road to Castle View and made a farm of it having much more room to fatten more pigs.

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 her in two of these pictures and her son Tom is with them in one of them. Mrs Sollis eventually sold The Swan by auction October 1st 1964; it was bought by Tim Tomlins.

Mr Govier work for Mr Wadman at Hobbs Buildings, the farm on the Brize Norton side of Bampton. He is seen here holding one of the bulls

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.