A second Downton Abbey film is being made and once again Saint Mary's church, Churchgate House, the Old Grammar School and the area around the church in Bampton will be used for some of the location shooting.
This picture shows the spire of St Mary The Virgin Church in Bampton seen across Sandford field. It was taken early in the twentieth century. Today, a hedge obscures the view of the houses in the foreground but not all still exist.
The Friends of Saint Mary, Bampton as part of their fund raising have in recent years organised a series of two or three talks, one a month, in the springtime. Robin Shuckburgh was to talk on the Role of Wine in The Church but sadly, due to dreadful weather this had to be cancelled and it is hoped Robin can do this another year.
Pipe Organ Restoration at St Mary's, Bampton. Work started on February 17th 2016 with the arrival of a second hand electric organ for use while the pipe organ was dismantled, taken away, parts renewed, enhanced and created. These pictures show the work on the pipe organ and the frame that was done at Cousans in Coleville, just SE of Loughborough. The pictures were taken by Ian, one of the senior skilled workers at Cousans.
The Friends of St Mary's have recently been arranging a series of 3 talks, one in Feb, March and April to raise funds for the church. This poster was for the Feb 2018 talk entitled "The Graveyard Shift: surgery and body snatching at Guy's Hospital in the 19th century." The talk was given by Professor Roger Jones.
The makers of Downton Abbey invited local people to take part as extras. Doreen and Douglas Clare were delighted to be chosen each each from 2011 through 2015.
