Market Square

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.

Advertisement detailing celebrations in the Village for the 70th Jubilee of the Queen. June 2nd - June 5th. Included the Shirt Race and Morris Dancing which usually took place on May Bank Holiday weekend. Organised by Parish Council

Fair in Market Square, held at Horse Fair time

This picture must have been taken some time between 1926 and 1938 because that was the period when Bertie Clark, seen here on the fiddle, played in Bampton.

They are dancing at the East end of the Market Square.

Newspaper Cutting with photographs of Mini Fete, showing 11 year old Anita Saunders and Pauline Taylor, and Iris Humphries, Dinah Taylor and Joyce Anderson. and 10 year old Paul Passmore helping on the stalls.
The cuttings are from the Standard, Times, & Echo dated Friday 1st June 1973. “Holiday festivities in Bampton”, “Bampton shirt race comes of age” and “Bampton Annual Fête”

Second short film by Roy Barratt showing Morris Dancers and flower garlands at Whitsun 1962 and 1963. Some participates in Shirt race can be named as Mikey Smith, Frank Hudson, Frank Purslow, Albert Radband and in the Flower Garlands some of the children can be named as Teresa Lock, Wendy Radband, Elaine Howell, Sylvia Barber, Philip Curtis, The cover photo shows the children's shirtrace starting from the Swan Pub in Buckland Road.

This photograph was taken in the early nineties. In the background, on the extreme left can be seen the popular restaurant, The Poacher's Rest. Next to the restaurant is Adrian Simmond's shop. Further to the right it is just possible to see the little shop that was originally owned by Onisipherous Collett, who built a car in the garage behind the shop,in the very early 1900s. The shop later became Elsie Hughes's wool shop and later a newsapaper shop. It is now known as Exeter House.To the right of the picture can be seen The Market Square Garage. When it was demolished, it was replaced with Thornberry Flats for people aged 55+. The beautiful blue, 4.2 litre straight 6 twin overhead cam E type Jaguar, was owned by Mr. Jimmy Watts of Black Bourton.

Building first amusements at the Bampton Pleasure Fair, Aug 18th 1965

Small newspaper advert in Witney Gazette 1984 Butlers wine merchant