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.

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Bampton Morris dancers c1924/5 outside the Elephant & Castle.

The sign over the pub door says Posting House, Horses, Carriages, Brakes. Personal attention given, Albert Townsend. The 3rd and 4th lines are hard to read which is a pity but it looks like 'For Hire All Trains Met On The Shortest Notice.

On 23rd September 1935 the Townsend family moved across the road to Castle View and made a farm of it having much more room to fatten more pigs.

Mr & Mrs Harry Sollis owned and ran the Swan Inn in Buckland road for many years. In the last few years, Mrs Sollis ran it as a widow. Emmie Papworth, nee Bishop was a relative and adored Mrs Sollis; Emmie is seen with her in two of these pictures and her son Tom is with them in one of them. Mrs Sollis eventually sold The Swan by auction October 1st 1964; it was bought by Tim Tomlins.

This is the Bampton Directory for 2006. It lists all the services, clubs, societies and organisations to be found in Bampton along with the contact details.
For the first time there are no advertisers.

This is the Bampton Directory published in 1993. It lists all the services, clubs, societies and organisations to be found in Bampton along with the contact details. Advertisers who support the publication are :-

Spar, grocery shop
Electric Vehicles
Farmhouse Hotel & Restaurant, Lew
Rouse Pianos, keyboard lessons, piano tuning, soloist available
Elephant & Castle Inn, plus accommodation
Steve Rees, plumbing & heating
Bampton Cars, short and long distances
Centre for complementary medicine
A Simmonds, bread, cakes, general groceries, toiletries, pet food
L A Wootton, visiting chiropodist
Martin Drew, chiropodist
Cancer Research Campaign
Girobank
Bampton Driving School
Day & Partners, veterinary surgeons
Hazel & Phil Shaw, B&B
Boarding Kennels
M H Thomas, building landscape gardens, fencing, supplier of cut flowers
A P Sykes, B F Sinson & Associates, Dental Surgeons
Emmies, newsagent, tobacconist, confectioner
A Garage Door Associates, supply, fit, automation, repairs etc
C L Baker, extensions, porches, conservatories, UPVC fascia & guttering
The Cotton Club, natural fabrics
Countryman Building Ltd., builders & property maintenance
Frank D Stanger, solicitor
N Woodley, building maintenance, extension, roofing, electrical, plumbing
Romany Inn, accommodation, restaurant
Andrew Bowman, master thatcher
Bubbles, dog grooming
McKenzie Brown, domestic & commercial heating, plumbing, electrical work
J Temple, hardware, DIY, fancy goods, toys
K J Mullis, plumbing and heating
P Lewis, electrician
R Cooper, builder, painter, carpentry, general repairs, dry stone walling
E Taylor & Son, funeral directors, Carterton & Witney
Health Matters, shop, homeopathic remedies, health foods, cosmetics, perfumes

This photograph shows 'Old Smith' and Maston cutting grass at the Grange in 1890.

This sign used to be outside the Royal Corps of Signals in Weald and was rescued when the RAF took over the site in September 1969. It is now in the museum of the Royal Signals and has been there since 2007.

This Frog Prince was made by Jo Lewington. I asked her to tell me about it and she said :-

"This dates from my sculptor phase in the ‘80s. I made 3 or 4 of these. One was sent to the head of a fashion house in California ( I remember it as Mr Gucci , but that can’t be right, but he was famous). I think the one in the picture went to another rich American. I can’t remember what happened to the rest but there is one somewhere in the Cotswolds. I made postcards and a leaflet and distributed them around Chelsea Garden Show, but at that time I was off to India for a year and my career as a sculptor ended."

This delightful Frog Prince was created by Jo Lewington.

A British Railways Poster for the Witney to Fairford line including information on goods carried and some of the personnel who worked on the railway at Witney. They include station master S. V. Jones, chief goods clerk F. G. Law, supervisory goods foreman S. Wiltshire and ganger J. Thomas (permanent way.)