Bampton: History, Culture and Morris Tradition

Bampton combines medieval traces with a dance tradition that is still kept alive today, local art and a walking route through the surrounding countryside. The town’s history stretches from the castle at Ham Court and an early medieval minster site to the Morris celebrations. It also has film history, exhibitions, an archive and sporting facilities. If you are looking for a hotel in Bampton, these different highlights can help shape your travel plans.

Castle and Church History

At Ham Court, a gatehouse and part of the curtain wall remain from a castle built in the early 14th century for Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke. In 1315, he received permission to crenellate it. Crenellations form the notched top of a fortified wall. Several acres of gardens, orchard and pasture surround the last surviving fragment of the medieval castle of Bampton at Ham Court. The site is partly surrounded by a moat and includes a walled kitchen garden.

St Mary the Virgin in Bampton stands on the site of a late Anglo-Saxon minster dating from 950 or earlier. The church site and castle remains offer insights into different periods of the town’s history.

Morris Dancing and Film History

Morris dancing has been part of Bampton’s Whitsun celebrations for centuries; these celebrations now take place on the Spring Bank Holiday. Every Whit Monday, Morris dancers gather in the town from sunrise to sunset. The exact arrangements can vary from year to year.

The town also has a notable television history: all the village scenes in Downton Abbey were filmed in Bampton, Oxfordshire. In every series, the town stood in for the Yorkshire village of Downton.

Exhibitions, Archive and Town Trails

The Bampton Heritage & Visitor Centre serves as the local tourist information centre and displays authentic local artefacts from its extensive collection. Guided Town Trails are offered throughout the year; additional dates for visitor groups and organisations can be arranged by appointment. The Centre also sells an eight-page booklet that families can use to complete the Town Trail independently and take part in a quiz.

The West Ox Arts Gallery holds around twelve exhibitions each year, and admission to all exhibitions is free. The gallery also aims to offer workshops and art talks led by the artists it supports. The Robert Vesey Room at the Bampton Community Archive hosts exhibitions and also has a unique shop. The Archive and Bampton Library are housed in a building whose restoration made an upper room accessible again. The room had been inaccessible since 1961.

Walking and Sport

A walking route starts in Bampton, a pretty old market town, and heads south along easy, flat footpaths through the Oxfordshire countryside. As route details can change, check the current route before setting out. Bampton Recreation Ground has tennis courts and a padel court. The courts are open to everyone and can be booked.

Discover more destinations: Hethe, Didcot, Aston, Mollington, Kingston Blount, Banbury, Chinnor, Long Wittenham

For the broader travel overview: Oxfordshire.