Image of crowd outside the Londis Shop
watching the Shirt Race

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.

two maps - A Plan of Lower Hadden Farm from the Auction held in March 1949, and a hand drawn map of same area
Auctioneers were Jackson-Stops (Cirencester)
With hand written field names as follows
Bampton Station Fairford to Oxford GWR
Barnleys Pasture
Big Barleys
Big Row
Black Bourton Road
Bowlie Ground
Bridle Path to Black Bourton
Bridle Road
Broad Close
Cow Leas
Far Hill
Far Limber
Front Field
Furse Hill
Harps
Highmoor Brook
Home Close
Horn Ground
James' Meadow
Little Barleys
Long Meadow
Lower Hadden Farm
Middle Hill
Mill Barn Copse
Near Barleys
Near Limber
Pike Ground
Pond Gardens
Rogers Meadow
Rushey Row
Smart Hill
The Big Monk
Water Meadows
Willow Beds

One of Hilda Kent's illustrations showing the front of Witney Community Hospital

Witney Gazette article by Miranda Norris dated 28th July 2021 about Opera held in the Deanery gardens by Bampton Classical Opera.
Paride de Elena by Gluck translated in to English by Gilly French. Featuring Lucy Anderson, Ella Taylor, Lauren Lodge-Campbell and Lisa Howarth.

Photograph of Market Square taken from Eton Cottages, showing Town Hall, Garage, Newsagent, Cromwell House and the Old Forge

Photograph taken by Joan Bateman daughter of the vicar of Bampton from 1936

Photograph showing work being done on top of Church Spire c1970

Photograph of the south side of church street, taken from east end dated about 1970.

Photo of yellow flowers outside Cromwell House, Cheapside