Bampton Village

Summary

The Oxfordshire village used as the fictional Downton Abbey village throughout the ITV series, with the Old Rectory (Churchgate House) doubling as the village medical practice.

About this location

Bampton is a small market town in west Oxfordshire with a core of Cotswold stone buildings clustered around St Mary the Virgin church and the old market place. It is an active working village rather than a carefully preserved museum piece, but the concentration of period stone buildings on the main streets and around the church has made it a reliable stand-in for an Edwardian English village on screen.

ITV’s Downton Abbey used Bampton throughout its run as the fictional village of Downton, North Yorkshire. Specific buildings used include: Churchgate House (the Old Rectory), which served as Dr Clarkson’s medical practice; the public library building, repurposed as a village building; the parish church of St Mary the Virgin as the Downton church for weddings, funerals, and exterior scenes; and several houses in Church View, dressed as the village pub. The street furniture and modern fittings along the main roads are generally compatible with period dressing.

Bampton residents are generally familiar with film production activity due to the Downton Abbey years. Filming requires coordination with Oxfordshire County Council for road closures and parking restrictions, and with the church for any use of St Mary’s. The village sits approximately 17 miles west of Oxford.