Article in the Voices Magazine produced in Aston, featuring The Old Grammar School and its role in the Downton Abbey series as the Cottage Hospital. £400,000 was raised to renovate the old building which is now the Bampton Community Hub, and houses the Bampton Library, a gift shop and the Lewington Room.
2012 was very much the early days of Downton Abbey having an effect in Bampton. The prediction of coachloads of American tourists coming was absolutely correct. By 2018 approximately 30,000 visitors went into the Vesey room housed in the building used as the Cottage Hospital in the drama to see the exhibition and memorabilia on sale. The Archive committee to the decision to have quality products only for sale because it is not an exhibition that attracts young children, space is very limited and the people who were coming clearly wanted quality memorabilia.
Robin Shuckburgh has been chairman of Bampton Community Archive for about 8 years (as at 2017) and over-seen the raising of £250,000 to repair the roof of the Old Grammar School in Church View and make the upstairs a usable space again. We are extremely fortunate in Bampton to have people with skills and energy which they are prepared to give freely for the benefit of the whole community.
