Display Boards used to exhibit the restoration of the Old Grammar School. These boards explain the restoration of the Old Grammar School built in the mid 1650s with a legacy of Robert Vesey, as a school to educate the children of Bampton. The Old Grammar School has been in some kind of trust for the village for 370 years. The current trust called the Bampton Exhibition Foundation (“BEF”), was set up in 1906 after the school had officially passed into the hands of the Government Education Department. Bampton Community Archive wanted to secure the future of the building for another 300 years, and give a formal home for the foreseeable future and continue the job of creating and maintaining an historical record of Bampton and surrounding villages. Thanks to lots of hard work and generous support from the landlords (Bampton Exhibition Foundation), WODC, OCC, all our visitors and the benefit of the ‘Downton Abbey’ connection helped to raise sufficient funds to undertake the long-planned improvements to the interior of the Old Grammar School. The building reopened in May 2022. Downstairs Library and Vesey Room with its exhibition space and shop and upstairs a spectacular space which had not been accessible since 1961.
Photograph of Bampton Children enjoying a show or pantomime in the WI Hall (Village Hall) in 1963. The children are numbered in the second photo and named as follows:
The attendant at the back on the rigt is Sally Ellis. It's possible that the attedant on the left is Faye Fairclough (Smith).The picture is taken in front of The Elephant and Castle pub in Bridge Street. The building dates from the 17th century with alterations in the 19th century and in the 1960's. It seems to have been a public house for most of its life but it closed at some point in or after 2000 and is now a private house. It had a thatched roof until 1958 when a firework, let off some weeks before the 5th November, struck the roof and started a fire.
Article about Morris Dancing of Bampton in the Bush from the Reading Standard 25th July 2014?. edited from Article in Daily Chronicle September 1914, both copies attached
From left to right, Marion MacNab, Cath Bradbury, Les MacNab (Landlord Jubilee), Maggie Mace, Don Bradbury (Landlord Horseshoe), John Rainey (Landlord Elephant & Castle), Tom Mace, Harry Walton (Landlord Talbot) and Helen Rainey.
One hundred pensioners were treated to a day out in Weymouth by The SPAJERS. A wonderful time was had by all. However, when the coaches were halfway home, it was realised that two passengers were missing! Mr. Don Rouse, Chairman of SPAJERS, phoned the police in Weymouth who conformed that the two ladies had reported in and then booked themselves in to an hotel. Next day, Mr. Rouse returned to Weymouth to retrieve the lost pensioners.
