Richborough Estates, the developer behind a 160-home estate in the village has agreed to fund an extension at Bampton Primary School.
Witney Gazette September 20th 2014. The developer behind a 160-home estate in the village has agreed to fund an extension at Bampton Primary School. Richborough Estates, which was granted planning permission by West Oxfordshire District Council in March, will also invest in
bus stops, the village library and public art projects
as part of its developer contributions for the scheme. More than 330 residents signed a petition opposing the development, which will include a combination of one to five-bedroom houses, saying it was over-development and could lead to further flooding.
In October 2012 the Bampton Environmental Watch Group had a wonderful talk given by John Leighfield on the history of maps and in particular maps of Oxfordshire and Bampton. It was very interesting to note that the first maps of Bampton showed the rivers and streams but no roads, showing the importance of waterways. It really is worth looking at the maps of Bampton carefully, you'll see just how old some buildings are, where the mill was in Bampton and Kerwoods Yard which was one area for the very poor with dwellings that had no land with them, they afforded the occupier a roof as opposed to 'the park bench' but no land on which to produce any food. It's referred to in early census forms and people come to Bampton asking where it is - it's on page 15 of this pdf
These are two parts of one map created in 1914. I've picked them out to show where the school used to be in Lew, next to University Farm and the Post Office a little to the east just before you get to Trinity Church.
This map was produce for the sale of the Lew Estate in 1914. There used to be a Post Office and a school in Lew, both shown on this map between University Farm and Holy Trinity Church on the main road.
This photograph, taken in 1922 according to the date on the bottom right corner, is of a class at Bampton National School in Church View. It is sad that we don't know the names of any of the children in the picture.
This is a class photograph taken about 1930. Vera Elward was then Vera Tanner and she is the blond girl centre front. The remaining 27 pictures are of each child with their name underneath