Horse Fair in Church Green seen from the churchyard

Photograph of Horse Fair in Church Green

Document put together by Mr Hughes Owens, one time headmaster of Bampton School. This shows many old picture of what Bampton looked like over the years together with typewritten descriptions.

Photograph of the Horse Fair, showing ponies on Church Green sold for pit ponies.
By Bourton Cottages 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 Horses were thought fit for use down the coal mines

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Scene of the horse fair in Bridge Street outside the Horse Shoe Inn and the butchers shop run by J Clark. It must have been taken well before 1925 because the Horse Shoe was gutted by fire that year and in 1925 it was owned by Percy Hughes who also had the butchers shop with his name over the door and on the east side of the building. Hurdles placed over the ground floor windows were to stop the horses from sticking their heads through the windows. Horses with a white spot on their rumps have been sold.

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

Horses outside Church Gate House, for sale as pit ponies

Photograph of the Horse Fair looking west down Bridge Street. Percy Hughes was the licensee and he also had the butcher's shop next to the Horse Shoe inn. There was a devastating fire at the inn in 1925 and the building was gutted and rebuilt in its present position. Note the window protection of hurdles to stop the horses putting their heads through the glass. White discs on the horses' rumps show they have been sold. There is a large group of horses tethered outside the high wall that faces Church View. Note the car outside the butchers shop.

Carousel on the south side of the Town Hall, coconut shy and a horse from the horse fair.

The fair stalls on the north side of the town hall