Bampton Heritage & Visitor Centre

Bampton Heritage & Visitor Centre

Tivvy Bumper Trail 2016

The 'Tivvy Bumper' was a steam locomotive which used to run on the Exe Valley line through Bampton. The engine itself is preserved in Tiverton Museum and is well worth a visit.

Our two Tivvy Bumper sculptures were unveiled on July 2nd, 2016.

Watch HERE a video of the event!

Watch here a video about how the sculptures were made.

The two sculptures remain in Bampton today for all to enjoy, one by Station Road car poark, and the other on 'The Stage' by Newton Square.

Tivvy Bumper

Pippa (Tiverton Museum) and Judi (Bampton Heritage Centre)

Tivvy Bumper

The Tivvy Bumper in Bampton Station

Above are some of the sculptures after being moulded, and ready for creative painting.

The actual Bumper now at Tiverton Museum.

 

A competition was held at our school for the best design to paint our Tivvy Bumper sculpture. This is the winner:

Bumpre drawing

And this the final result:

School Bumper

Bampton School design - Our Brilliant Bumper!

Bampton Bumber GWR

By the old railway station, the Bampton Bumper in GWR colours

Installing the plinth on The Stage Installing the plinth at Station Road

 

Tiverton Museum planned a visitor trail based on the Tivvy Bumper engine, located in the museum, and commissioned mini sculptured models of the engine which you can see in the photo.  When Bampton Heritage and Visitor Centre volunteers heard about this project, we immediately pledged to raise funds to have Bampton involved in the trail.
These models were placed in various locations in Tiverton, with one at Coldharbour Mill, Uffculme, one on the Grand Western canal in Sampford Peverell and two in Bampton.  The two models for Bampton were sponsored by The Heritage Centre, Bampton Town Counci, Exmoor Rotary Club, and Isabelle Kenny from Castle Grove.   The models were painted during June with a big launch event in July.  The trail was open from July to the end of October. 

There will be a Tivvy Bumper trail map with all the models and their locations shown, with spaces for authentication stamps to be collected by trail followers.  You may be have heard of, and even taken part in, some other trails – the Shaun the Sheep and the Gromit trials in Bristol and beyond – which have been hugely popular and attracted thousands of extra visitors to their host locations.  Adults and children alike have followed the trail, taken photos of themselves by Shauns or Gromits, bought associated merchandise and spent money in local shops and businesses – on food, drink and other goods.  They have proved a real income boost wherever they have been sited and we are confident that Bampton will benefit from this great project.
Bampton is being Bumpered!

Our two sculptures remain in the town.


A short film about the history of the railway in Bampton 1884-1963 featuring the Bumper can be found here.



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