Newspaper report about refurbishment of the Old Grammar School. Community groups in Bampton had spent years fundraising to upgrade the Building, used as the Cottage Hospital in the hit TV series Downton Abbey. The 17th Century building already housed the village library and archive, plus a small shop, renovation work was to start December 2020. and it was scheduled to open in Spring 2021. West Oxfordshire District Council’s approved a £48,750 grant for Bampton Community Archive (BCA), owned by the Bampton Exhibition Foundation, who themselves made a ‘substantial contribution’ to the project. But the BCA has raised more than £50,000 plus grants, including almost £38,000 in £1 donations through the Bampton Mile appeal. This aim to collect one mile of £1 coins, which laid flat around the Downton Abbey Location Tour would raise £71,527.
Copies of Posters and Advertisements for Events held in the Library, including Board Games, Art Club Rhyme Time, Lego, Book Launches, Racing Robots and District Councillor Surgery
Photographs of the Vesey room in 2003 when the Archive began to use it This was how the Vesey room looked in 2003 which was the very early days of the Bampton Community Archive. The exhibition photographs appear to be to do with the SPAJERS
Newspaper article about Janet Newman organising the Bampton Festival in 1985, originally meant to celebrate the building of the Grammar School built from funds left by Robert Vesey in 1653. The Festival included events, concerts and exhibitions including skeleton of child and many photographs of Old Bampton.
Display Boards used to exhibit the restoration of the Old Grammar School. These boards explain the restoration of the Old Grammar School built in the mid 1650s with a legacy of Robert Vesey, as a school to educate the children of Bampton. The Old Grammar School has been in some kind of trust for the village for 370 years. The current trust called the Bampton Exhibition Foundation (“BEF”), was set up in 1906 after the school had officially passed into the hands of the Government Education Department. Bampton Community Archive wanted to secure the future of the building for another 300 years, and give a formal home for the foreseeable future and continue the job of creating and maintaining an historical record of Bampton and surrounding villages. Thanks to lots of hard work and generous support from the landlords (Bampton Exhibition Foundation), WODC, OCC, all our visitors and the benefit of the ‘Downton Abbey’ connection helped to raise sufficient funds to undertake the long-planned improvements to the interior of the Old Grammar School. The building reopened in May 2022. Downstairs Library and Vesey Room with its exhibition space and shop and upstairs a spectacular space which had not been accessible since 1961.
First ever meeting held in the newly restored upper room of the Grammar School June 9th 2022. The upper room was named The Lewington Room after Jo Lewington, whose idea and dedication brought about this amazing restoration.
There are three bits to this document. The registered copy of the will starts on page 1 - TNA PROB 11/169/189 and ends - Acknowledged, signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of us Robert Vesey the younger, Thomas Napkin, Edward Bush. The probate act, in Latin, translated is in purple The sentence of the court, in a case brought against the executor by many of the beneficiaries, begins - TNA PROB 11/169/421
