Picture 1 Villagers dressed in 18th century costume joined a torchlight procession from the church to the school, where a mock cottage was set on fire. They were marking the 200th anniversary of a fire which destroyed most of the village near Abingdon on Easter Sunday 1780. The historic blaze started when a householder put a tray of ashes outside his door, setting fire to the thatch. Most of the torches in the 1980 procession were home-made creations of cardboard and crepe paper for safety.

Picture 2 The village celebrated the opening of a new day centre and the 21st birthday of the Darby and Joan Club in 1970. Joan Bertram is pictured speaking at the opening ceremony. In front is the club’s birthday cake.

Picture 3 Two end-of-term performances of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat were staged at the village primary school in 1981, to packed audiences of parents and friends. Pupils are pictured in one of the scenes, with Daniel Cox, as Joseph, in the foreground. The production involved most of the school’s 180 pupils, either in the cast or playing in the orchestra.