The Bampton Community Archive was created because Bampton is a special village with its own unique history and culture, and it was felt that something should be done to record and preserve its heritage before it all disappeared with the passage of time.

And so, in 2002, a group of enthusiasts got together, and formed a committee to spearhead the project to gather information on the history of the village, and preserve it for posterity.

The Archive is up and running, with the enthusiasts as enthusiastic as ever. The Archive does not yet have a permanent home – although that is being looked at – and so runs exhibitions in conjunction with West Oxon Arts – see elsewhere on this Website - either in the Gallery, or the Robert Vesey Room at the Village library. Three exhibitions per year are held, with the present exhibition being the 5^th to be run since start-up.

At the moment the Archive has a collection of around 1500 photographs and 20 hours of recordings with the older members of the community. There is also a huge interaction between the Archive and the local school so that the Bampton children can grow up with an awareness of, and a pride in, their village heritage.

The Archive is run by volunteers, and its funded almost entirely by donations and the fundraising efforts of the volunteers. 

We would very much welcome any contributions in the way of photographs, recorded or written reminiscences, or emails which would help build up the picture of Bampton in past years.