MG Land

Production of MG cars at Abingdon was stopped in 1980. BL (British Leyland) with a noticeable lack of judgement announced the closure while workers were celebrating 50 years of MG production at Abingdon.

The factory was closed, and this is the last piece of land that is yet to be developed.

Plans for housing and flats have been put forward by Builders Ede from Kidlington who own the land. But their plans were rejected by the local planning authority, and have been resubmitted. They tried to fit in too much first time around.

The land lies along Colwell Drive between Abingdon police station and the houses of Willowbrook. It has been left undisturbed so long that it has become the home of foxes and skylarks...

Round&About

The February 2006 edition of ROUND&about has recently been delivered to all homes with a postcode starting OX14 which mean Abingdon.

It features the first of a three part article on training animals '.. As I grew up, I had all sorts of animals around the house, including a squirrel that I found frozen stiff and I thawed him out. My mother wasn't pleased when she opened the oven door andhe popped out...'

It has a large section about local events- disjointed ramblings. Its well done.

A Broad Face

A few doors down from the Fat Face shop you will find the Broad Face public house at the junction of Bridge Street and Thame Street.

The current building was erected in 1840 but there are records of a public house called the Broad Face as far back as 1734 (see Inns and Alehouses of Abingdon 1550 - 1978 by J.B Carter and J.G.M Smith ISBN 0-9507680-1-4).

There is also some evidence that before becoming the Broad Face it was called the Saracens Head. One suggestions is that the Saracen got badly repainted and got nicknamed Broad Face. Other less likely origins for the name could be the face of hanged man taken from the Old Gaol opposite, or a drowned man from the river down below.

In any case the pub sign no longer shows the badly painted Broad Faced man. Rather, it has gone up market, and boasts its success in national catering competitons. It also boasts Fair trade produce: coffees and teas, and good beers.

But as you approach it from the bridge, you can see that the building does present a broad face to all oncomers.

The Abott of Abingdon

The traffic islands of Abingdon have been transformed in recent years. This is due to Abingdon wanting to do well in the annual "Britain in Bloom" competition. We enter every year in the Thames and Chiltern large Town category. Last year we were joint winners with Bicester (pronounced bister).

The Abbott of Abingdon is the result of the Abbey Press sponsoring the traffic island near Tesco for one years "Britain in Bloom. "

You can see that currently he has a belt of tinzel. During the Christmas festivities somebody dressed him up amd the tinzel still remains.

A Wide Open Gate

Above this door is the victorian epigram: "Through this wide open gate, none come too early; none returns too late."

This building is now used by Abingdon Town Council and the Abingdon Information Point.

Abingdon Community Hospital

The threat to our local Abingdon Comunity Hospital keeps returning. The headines in the Abingdon Herald have revealed recently that there are still plans to try to downgrade it to a day centre in 2006. There was a similar threat in 1998, amd 2004. Both times the threat was fought off by local protests.

The earliest Abingdon Cottage hospital was opened in Bath Street in 1886, thanks to John Cremar-Clarke, the owner of the Clarkes Clothes factory, and the local MP (Member of Parliament). It had 12 beds.

The current hospital has 42 beds, a minor injuries unit, a day centre, and various clinics. Many of its users, and their visitors are elderly, and so it is still good to have something local. It is something inbetween the intensive and expensive care at the John Radcliffe (JR) Hospital in Oxford, and care at home.

And so yet again we will fight the big central money pot for a vital part of our community to keep it local.