For what feels like years and years, WODC have been putting together a Local (housing) Plan and at long last, it was agreed by the governments planning inspectorate. All far too late to stop the speculative developments which WODC could not stop in Bampton which resulted in 160 house in New Road, a further 160 to be built at the bottom of Mt Owen Rd and the fight to stop yet another development between the Aston and Buckland Road continues (as at Sept 2019). A development on the east side of Station Road following on from the two semi detached bungalows has been granted and are being built now (Sept 2019). 7 new dwellings at Weald Manor farm have been built, Glebe Farm farther down Weald Street are building 6 as I write and a 7th will be added to them. The surgery is at full stretch, no road improvements have been made, people are parking on pavements, some of the new houses in New Road have experienced sewerage back-flows. There are so many cars parked in Bampton now it's nearly always impossible to pass them without causing a motorist coming in the other direction from having to stop and wait
Liberal Democrat Charlie Maynard touting votes in 2023 for when general election comes. One of his manifesto aims was to restore the railway line from Witney to Oxford.
Copy of circular sent by Alaric Smith, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Bampton and Clanfield, re the threat of speculative development in the local community.
Frank Purslow was not only an excellent melodeon player, he taught many local people as well. He also had a wonderful catalogue of music gathered throughout his life. It was shocking to see it all put outside the gate of his house after his death for the bin men to pick up. A little was rescued but the vast majority was thrown away. The letter from Frank shown here was a follow-on from one sent the week before and the text will explain all.
This letter is from the chairman of Cecil Sharp House, Douglas Kennedy to Rose Wells who lived at 18 Fox Close in Bampton. It was to thank Rose for the letter she sent informing them of her grandfather's death. Nathan William 'Jingy' Wells was responsible for keeping Morris dancing alive in Bampton at one time in the early twentieth century.
This lovely photograph shows James and Elizabeth (nee Fox) Green with their children Lizzie, Harry, Jack, Jim, Rose, Fred and Percy taken about 1902. Harry, really Henry Arthur Green died in the WWI
Don Rouse, probably the longest serving committee member of the SPAJERS (Society for The Preservation of Ancient Junketing) wrote this history of the society in March 2022.
Scanned copy of old document containing extracts from Gardener's Gazetteer of Oxon 1852, Lascelles' Gazetteer of Oxon 1853 and Kelly's Directory of Oxon 1895. Listing businesses and trades in Bampton and surrounding villages, and the following surnames are included Adams Andrews Arkell Baines Baker Bateman Beckinsale Beechey Beresford Biddulph Bradshaw Bryant Bullem Burrow Butt Carter Chandler Clack Clifford Clinch Collins Cook Cook Cowley Cox Coxeter Cripps Croft Dewe Dickens Dipper Dumbleton Dutton Edgington Eldridge Evans Forest Fox Frampton Francis Frederick Gerring Giles Gillet Grove Hambridge Hardman Harris Holliday Hollis Hudson Hutchings Jackson Jeeves Jones Knight Lambeth Leforestier Long Lord Luckett May Miller Newport Oakey Patt Perkins Pettyfer Pinnock Pinnocks Plaster Pnnock Prior Pusey Reed Richards Robins Rose and Bullen Sellard Shepherd Smith Southby Sparrowhawk Spiers Spurret Steede Stevens Stone Swinburn Taylor Teall Thompson Townsend Trafford Vesey Waite Walker Walsh Ward Werman Whitaker Widdows Wilkins Williams Winstanley Winterborne Young
Tom Smith was the son of a gypsy Queen and for 1969, the number of people and cars who came to his funeral was a very memorable affair. To this day, locals call the bend just outside Bampton on the Bampton to Brize Norton Road 'Hoppy's Corner.' It's on the right leaving Bampton just after passing the allotments.
This Frog Prince was made by Jo Lewington. I asked her to tell me about it and she said :-
"This dates from my sculptor phase in the ‘80s. I made 3 or 4 of these. One was sent to the head of a fashion house in California ( I remember it as Mr Gucci , but that can’t be right, but he was famous). I think the one in the picture went to another rich American. I can’t remember what happened to the rest but there is one somewhere in the Cotswolds. I made postcards and a leaflet and distributed them around Chelsea Garden Show, but at that time I was off to India for a year and my career as a sculptor ended."