Horse Fair, Church Green

Horse Fair - ponies tied up on Church Green were considered by the vendors to be suitable for pit ponies and the Welsh miners knew to come to this part of Bampton to buy their pit ponies. Here, the ladies and children are inside the church wall away from the horses but able to watch the proceedings. It was an event much enjoyed by all and the ladies and children have got their best hats on.

The annual horse fair in Bampton. These horses are in Church Street. Note that both men and women wore hats and ladies' clothes were generally down to their ankles.

Horses outside Church Gate House, for sale as pit ponies

Horses on Church Green. Men with white flags kept the horses under control. A strip of white rag was tied on the tail of a horse when it was sold. In later years, a white sticker was stuck to their rumps. Note the temporary railing in front of Church Gate house. Ladies and children stayed safe in the churchyard while they watched proceedings

Horse Fair outside the Talbot. Carts outside Thompsons, the high class grocers

Running a horse past Sherborne House to show its soundness. Many people looked forward to the Horse Fair because they met friends from neighbouring villages who walked over, plus, the men who brought the horses travelled the country and they brought something of the wider outside into Bampton.

A personal account of time at the Horse Fair

The Horse Fair in Bridge Street looking east. At one time, it was one of the larger horse fairs in the country. Boys with barrows collected the horse dung for sale. The Wheatsheaf became the post office in 1972 and a private house in 2010 when the post office moved to the middle room of the Town Hall. The three semi-circular windows in the first floor of was the HSBC bank (in 2014) and Patrick Strainge butchers have been altered at some point to look like their neighbouring upstairs windows.

Horse fair in Church View