THE BAMPTON home of Molly Rose, who delivered aeroplanes to Second World War pilots, is the Downton Abbey location that never was.

Mrs Rose died aged 95 in October last year but it has emerged she had been approached by producers of the popular TV series because they wanted to film in the dining room of Bampton House.

However the former Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) pilot who delivered more than 260 Spitfires, shot down the idea.

Mrs Rose’s son Graham Rose, from Appleton near Abingdon, recalled: “The Downton Abbey people asked if they could use the dining room as a film set but mother said no.

“When I asked why, she told me: ‘They would want to redecorate it and I can’t possibly have that because it will be a disruption.

‘I can’t have Downton Abbey disturbing my life’.”

Mrs Rose and husband Bernard, an eminent musician, bought Grade-II listed Bampton House in 1986 for £200,000 and spent £67,000 refurbishing it.

It has just gone on the market at £1.65m.

Set in walled gardens of three-quarters-of-an-acre, Bampton House has high ceilings, feature fireplaces and a central sweeping staircase.

Bernard Rose, who died in 1996, was a Fellow in Music and organist at Magdalen College.

He was also heavily involved with Bampton village church, St Mary’s, where both his and Mrs Rose’s ashes are buried.

Morris dancers danced in Bampton House gardens on Whit Monday, a tradition which continued until last year.

Graham Rose added: “My mother and father hosted a lot of parties at Bampton House and they were brilliant at opening it up to lots of people.

“What my mother and father loved about Bampton was the community.”

The couple also entertained Magdalen College Choir choristers, academics and music students at their home.

ATA women pilots, affectionately known as Atagirls, flew three or four different types of aircraft a day, without radios and landed at hard-to-find, camouflaged airfields.

Last year, Mrs Rose was filmed being interviewed in her sitting room by BBC presenter Huw Edwards as part of the British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance.

A memorial service was held for her in Magdalen College chapel in January while a plaque was recently unveiled to RAF Brize Norton to commemorate her efforts, along with that of fellow Atagirl Mary Ellis.