Long before the days when everyone had a TV and many IT toys and gadgets, the WI Christmas Party was much enjoyed my many children. This group photo was taken 1956 at a Christmas party given by the WI.
Helen Cadd wrote"The photo was posted over from America by Olive McCabe, nee Olive Peacock back when the photo was taken . Aunty Olive found the photo in a set of drawers she was clearing out.
This teacher is Mr Evans who taught at Bampton School and the picture was taken about 1959.Janet Westman said "Mr Evans was my favourite teacher. He was so young and handsome!, he encouraged me to draw, and would take us on cycle rides
The contestants in the Shirt Race are at The Lamb Inn in the Market Square. This Inn was known locally as The Tree because there was a very large Ash tree in the garden.
This is a newspaper article from the Oxford Times June 10th 1960 which talks about the fete held at Weald Manor by kind permission of Mrs A.M. Colvile and her son Major R.A. Colvile. It was to raise funds for the renewal of part of the floor inside Saint Mary The Virgin Church, specifically the parquet flooring across the front of the aisles by the pulpit and lectern. It was Whit Monday, the day of Morris Dancing in Bampton (until the government stopped Whit Monday being a Bank Holiday and fixed it at the last Monday in May with may or not be Whit Monday) and the dancers called at the Fete.
This dinner party gathering in the WI Hall, now called the Village Hall, was probably in the very early 1960s. Sadly, we don't know for sure why the people were gathering but it may well be to do with the British Legion.
The SPAJERS - The Society for The Preservation of Ancient Junketing - organised many dances as part of their fundraising events to enable them to give fun to Bampton's senior citizens while everyone had fun. There are 6 tickets here with dances from 1960 to 1970.