Bridge Street from opposite Cheyne Lane looking to the Town Hall

Photo taken by Bill Govier of Ursula Booth
Landlady of the Romany

The pub in the High Street named The Morris Clown (as at 2018) began life as The George. Steve the present landlord found the ancient wooden name board in the cellar but it fell to dust when he tried to lift it. A long time ago it became the New Inn as seen in the first photograph which is at least pre 1920 because the cottage at the est end of the Market Square is still standing and that was pulled down to make way for the War Memorial. Over the door can be seen a sign which says Clinch's Entire Eagle Brewery, Witney. There is another line underneath which sadly is not readable. The lower board says Commercial Inn, Lila Clack and two more lines of text which I can't read. The opposite side of the road is the department store owned by T. W. Pembrey which ran the length of present day No7 High Street, Lesta House, Strawberry Cottage and across Bushey Row, then called New Inn Street the shop on the corner. On the end wall of the New Inn on the third picture text can be seen which in part says Commercial something and Posting House. A little of this lettering can still be seen in 2018. What was Pembrey's is now Busby's department store. Note the thatched hay rick camera side of Lime Tree House. Thatching hay ricks kept the hay in good condition and shed the rain off; rick thatching was a specialist job and in Bampton Ben Tanner and his brother were particularly skilled and Reg Rouse was also.

This is a calendar and advert for the Horse Shoe Inn by Maurice and Rene Wiggins

This post card shows a picture of Jean and Peter Elliot who owned and ran the Talbot Inn in the Market Square on the left and Maurice and Rene Wiggins who ran the Horse Shoe Inn seen on the right.

Mrs Lucy Martin in 1960 in the Roman Catholic chapel which was upstairs in the Eagle, Church View. The Eagle was built and owned in 1828 by the stonemason William Stone who called it the Masons Arms. He and his wife ran it from 1850 to 1860. By the late 19th century it was called The Eagle and it became a private dwelling in 1991. The Roman Catholics used the upstairs as their church. Lucy Martin was the wife of the licensee. Roman Catholic children who attended the National School next door used to have their assembly upstairs in this chapel. Downstairs, there was a little tuckshop and window out of which they served the children. The upstairs ceased to be the RC chapel when Mr and Mrs Martin left and after that, the Roman Catholics said Mass upstairs in the Town Hall for a few years before changing to use the room now used as the library in the Old Grammar school. This was not a nice place for a service because the room was for hire and there could have been a party with beer and lots of cigarette smoke the night before making it decidedly smelly. In 1976 the wishes of the Anglican and RC church goers came to pass and since then Roman Catholics have used St Mary's for Mass at 9am on Sundays and come out just in time for the bellringers and choir members to go in to ring / have a practice before the Anglican service.

The Eagle in Church View 1979

Elephant & Castle with Car Park and Garden sign

Elephant and Castle on Clanfield Road (Bridge Street)