Downton Abbey fans are partly paying for an exciting project to transform a village community hub in Bampton. The Old Grammar School will soon be reconstructed with new stairs, fitting out of the top floor and the complete restoration and updating of the ground floor. There will be a new exhibition space, a computerised archive, a larger shop and a state-of-the-art library. Bampton doubled as the fictional northern village of Downton in the hit ITV series. Some of the most famous scenes were shot there, including Lady Mary’s wedding to Matthew Crawley which was filmed at St Mary’s Church.
A BUILDING used as the hospital in Downton Abbey is set for more restoration work after a significant cash boost. A £48,750 community facilities grant from West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) completes a five-year fundraising drive totalling £320,000 for the Old Grammar School in Bampton. A complete refurbishment of the building’s roof was completed in 2019. Now, the second phase of restoration work can begin, seeing the upper floor of the building restored in addition to a new staircase. This will see the upper floor used for the first time since the 1960s. In recent years, the building has become famous for being the Cottage Hospital in the ITV drama series Downton Abbey.