The Real Downton

Bampton, nestled on the brink of the Cotswolds and just 18 miles from Oxford, is thought to be one of the oldest towns in England. Set in Oxfordshire’s agricultural heartland, Bampton is a golden treasure of Jurassic limestone. Throughout the centuries, this modest town has undergone many a rebrand, from Bampton Castle to Bampton-in-the-Bush, but no title put Bampton quite on the map like . Chosen as a key filming location of the world-famous ITV period drama series, Bampton graced our screens through six seasons, hosting weddings, funerals and fetes. Despite the series being set in a fictional country estate in Yorkshire, some 140 miles north, Bampton doubled as the village of Downton, set apart from