Wilsons Estate Agent Advert in Witney Gazette 1984

Patrick Strange, butchers in Bridge Street,
First Class Produce
Advert in Witney Gazette 1984

John Temple Advert in Witney Gazette 1984
Shop in Market Square selling Hardware, DIY, Fishing Tackle and much more

Advert in Witney Gazette 1984 Duttons Shop in Bridge Street
Selling Wine, Beers, Soirits, Fruit and Vegetable.

Small Advert in Witney Gazette in 1984
Mrs Ham had the Shoe Shop in the Market Square
Selling Toys and much more

Small newspaper advert in Witney Gazette 1984 Butlers wine merchant

Advertisement in the Witney Gazette for Mr Simmond's shop

While the title of this piece refers to the Shirt Race, which started as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, this articles talks about many people and is a lovely snapshot of social life in Bampton in 1959. People mentioned include:-

Albert Chandlers, saddler and leather worker and chairman of the parish council and still working hard at his leather work aged 81. Reference is made to the 100 or so council houses built in Weald since the war but there have been no council houses built in Weald, they were along New Road and the area north of New Road.

Percival O Money, "bespoke and surgical boot maker where everything was done by hand, even stitching when repairing footwear. Mr Money was a founding member of the debating society and secretary of the bowls club (which was in the grounds of Weald Manor.)

John Quick, one of the founder member of the SPAJERS - The Society for Ancient Junketer - who organise the Great Shirt Race and other events to raise money for Bampton's senior citizens while providing fun for all.

Mr & Mrs Arthur Scott-Norman licensee of the Elephant and Castle Inn in Bridge Street, knew each other in their school days then bumped into each other again in Tanganyika, never to be parted again. During the war Mr Scott-Norman was in the RAF and later in the Colonial office in Dar-es-Salaam and Mrs Scott-Norman was matron of the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar-es-Salaam.

There is much more of interest in the articel.

Richard Briers used to live in Carswell on the edge of Bampton and came to Adrian Simmonds' shop in the Market Square to buy his pet food. He is in the shop in this photograph.

Mrs Rogers lived in Brook House on Bridge Street where she sold sweets and newspapers. Bampton is 18 miles from Oxford and 18 from Swindon and somehow, Mrs Brooks managed to get a sugar allowance during WWII from both Swindon and Oxford which enabled her to make and sell lots of sweets.

Brook House is the one on the left of the picture, across the road.

She is on the left in this picture with Mr and Mrs Albert Townsend from across the road at Castle View Farm. They are standing just inside the wall of the farm.