In May 2012 our papershop known as Emmies, run by Tom and Silvia Papworth closed for the last time. The letter gives a history of the shop, the people who ran it. It documents not only the passing of the papershop but records the very active part both Sylvia and Tom have played in Bampton's life, for which those of us lucky enough to have known them, their families and their shop will always be very grateful.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend at Whitsun 1985. Ian Baker and Ivan Lomas won the fancy dress competition held prior to the Shirt Race. Reg Hall enjoyed a pint between playing on the Monday. Terry Rouse danced in as the fool outside the Horse Shoe.

Mr & Mrs Hill & son Arthur Hill's antique cum bric-a-brac shop in Bridge Street. Now Parallel Lines.

Horse Fair pre-WW I outside the Wheat Sheaf inn. Boys are collecting horse manure for vegetable gardens. Note the windows are quite different in what is now the HSBC bank and the butchers. The Wheat Sheaf became the Post Office about 1971 and became a private house in 2010 when the post office moved to the Town Hall and it became a private house.

Bridge St. Horses walking free

Running a horse past Sherborne House to show its soundness. Many people looked forward to the Horse Fair because they met friends from neighbouring villages who walked over, plus, the men who brought the horses travelled the country and they brought something of the wider outside into Bampton.

Marion and Ted Lay lived in Bampton all their married life and as Jamie Wheeler says

"They were the loveliest people you could ever meet. I claim a slight family association as their daughter Marjorie married Jim Brooks. It was a second marriage for them both and Jim had previously been married to my Auntie Joyce. I always regarded him as my uncle. Ted was a Morris dancer years ago and we always did one dance outside his house on Whit Monday and for Mrs. Lay after Ted died. Mrs. Lay was sister of Harry Pocock whose name crops up on this site quite often. He died the day I was born (or so Mrs. Pocock used to tell me)"

3 Large ordnance Survey Maps used by Hadgood and Mammatt Auctioneers and Estate Agents from Witney. Published in 1921 price £5/- and £6/8d. Points of interest are Highmoor Brook, Plantation, Ham Court, Deanery Farm, Churchgate, Vicarage, Manor House, and Weald Manor House, old gravel pit and Beam Cottage, Calais Farm, Primrose Cottages, Fisher's Bridge

Advert in Witney Gazette 1984 for Emmie's Paper shop

Rod Stradling melodeon, Roy Shergold Fool, Cyril Smith, Tony Applegate, Terry Rouse