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.