Mr & Mrs Harry Sollis, Swan Inn

This is a newspaper article written by S.P.B.Mais, following a visit to some Oxfordshire village inns. The Elephant and Castle in Bridge Street; The Malt Shovel in Lavender Square; The Horse and Groom in Black Bourton (now The Vines) and The Plough at Alvescot are all mentioned. The writer says by far the most interesting character was 85 year-old Mr. John Kent of The Malt Shovel, Lavender Square, Bampton. At that time Mr Kent had been landlord for 34 years and had an abundance of fascinating stories to tell.

Menu for the breakfast served at The Elephant and Castle on New Year's Day 2000. Bampton also celebrated on New Year's Eve with music and fireworks in the Market Square.

Arthur Hill and Mr Fred Lomas crossing a very quiet High Street. Arthur Hill had the little antique shop, now the hairdresssers, next to The Horseshoe. It was stacked to the ceiling , with just a small path through to view the many antiques. Arthur would often refuse to sell items, particularly if they were in the window. Fred Lomas, in his later years, was the guard at The Midland Bank, opposite Arthur's shop. Duttons at this time was a greengrocers, delicatessen and pharmacy.

Bridge Street shops, pubs and houses

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.

Th Horse Shoe Public House in Bridge Street,

The Eagle Inn in Church View, Sadly, it closed in January 1992. It was the head quarters of the Bampton Traditional Morris Men when Francis Shergold was squire of the side. It was a happy place with darts, aunt sally, a garden and a one time a piano in the bar.