Charter Wall Hanging

This quilted wall hanging was unveiled in Abingdon library today by the mayor Alison Rooke. Many people have sewn and stitched squares that are now all sewn together to give a collage of Abingdon from White Horse hill to Masons.

Down on the bottom row three from the end is a square that says Masons. This work could not have happened without a shop like Masons. It is a habberdasher and craft shop selling: threads, needles, buttons, zips, wool, knitting needles, cloths and material and lace, equipment for embroidery...

FitzHarris estate

This green space with plaque is all that remains of the once great Fitzharris House. The house was demolished in the 1950s after a vigorous campaign to try to save it. It had been the residence of the Tesdale and Bostock families.

The Fitzharry name goes a long way back in Abingdon. The FitzHarris estate, just north of central Abingdon was given to a norman knight after the Norman Conquest. A 13th century descendant of this knight, Hugh FitzHarry, gave the place his name, before selling his estate to the Abbey and going off to the crusades.

Nearby there is a norman motte (a mound of earth about three meters high with a moat). On top there might have been a woodern fort called a bailey. The mound now gets used by BMX cyclists.

The Fitzharry estate was redeveloped in the 1950s, and became housing for workers at the atomic energy research establishment in nearby Harwell.

Larkmead School

The picture shows Year 11 from Larkmead in 2006. Every single one of them has a white shirt and Larkmead tie on, and none have tied it the trendy way (just a bit of tie beneath the knot).

Larkmead is currently featured on a government run website called teachernet for their scheme to promote lively and varied playground activities "...boys playing 'kwik cricket' and touch rugby at one end of the playground, girls shooting basketball hoops at the other..." This teachernet site is one in a group of school websites. There is also governornet and I am told there is also a parentsnet but cannot find it yet. It will give a parents view into teachernet data, and the new style on-line annual Report on the school. Examination results will be loaded centrally by

All the three public secondary schools in Abingdon (Larkmead, John Mason, and Fitzharries) have new headmasters and deputy heads this year. At Larkmead Chris Harris (pictured) has taken over from Richard Bysouth.

The three secondary schools worked together on a joint bid to become centres of excellence for different areas (and get extra central government funding). Larkmead's specialism is Visual and Performing Arts.

The three schools become one when you get to year 12 and 13 and do A levels. A student can study at all three achools, but have tutor groups at their original school.

Larkmead also has a specialist Special Needs unit and hearing resource base.

There is a trend to built houses in the town centre, whereas up to ten years ago new houses were built on the outskirts. One new tc development seem to merge into another, and so it must be difficult to create a strong identity, but they try with their colourful showrooms and banners.

I have pictures from two current developments: Marchants Place is between Waitrose and the Vineyard, and the Riverside collection looks as though it will have a good view over the recently restored victorian lake in the Abbey Grounds, and over the mill stream. This lake was paid for by you and me, the council tax payers, and all those kind people who do the national lottery.

One advantage of more houses near the centre is that people can more easily use the shops and restaurants, which is good for the vitality of the town. One will have to wait and see how it plays out over the next twenty years.

There are few town centre plots of land available for any building purpose now - not many more old factory sites left in the town. This process started a long time ago when the Abingdon Carpet factory became the Upper Reaches Hotel, so nothing is new. But a good mix is necessary to create a sustainable community. The final picture is the lake on a misty morning - the only way in future to see "The Victorian Lake" without "The Riverside Collection."

Town Crier Magazine - 25th Edittion

The Town Crier is an Abingdon Town Council publication, and is delivered to every house in Abingdon. Spring 2006 sees the 25th edition, and has a pull out events list for the 450th Charter Celebrations.

There is a competiton asking for poems, prose, photography and art inspired by the title "When I think of Abingdon." Send your efforts by 2nd May 2006 (max. 150 words or A3 pictures).

There will be a book called "Cameos of Abingdon" available from the middle of May. "It contains a collection of articles written by Abingdonians from all walks of life."

There will be two collections of watercolours by "Abingdon's most famous artist, Oswald Couldrey 1882 - 1958.." exhibited in the museum. His style is "fresh, slightly naive, and humorous, and shows Abingdon through the 1930s and 40s". They show one print of Pigs in Broad Street. There are already postcards of some of these in the museum (Copyright Abingdon Town Council)

There will be a museum roof opening (weather permitting) on April 1st with the best roof top display in town, and the museum "coffee at 60p a cup is still the cheapest in town."

There is an entry form for Abingdon in Bloom, but due to the drought it says "we hope entries will show what can be done with more imagination but much less water."

Also Peter Doll from St Nicolas Church says that the District Council will "install stone setts in the lawn of Abbey Meadow gardens outlining the foundations of the mediaeval Abbey Church of St Mary."

Prices Stationers

This half-timbered shop in Stert Street has been home to 'Prices Stationers' for at least 20 years.

As you enter, you will see card making materials, and glue and sequins and glitter and crepe paper, and kits to do collage, jigsaws, writing paper and notelets (some made by local people) and envelopes. The counter on the left is made of glass, and you can look through to see the range of fountain pens. Behind the counter are usually 2 or 3 staff on a Saturday - always the same faces. Diaries and notebooks are to the left. Behind the counter are printer cartridges.

The man who manages the shop is always open to opportunities and was one of the first to stock cheaper replacement cartridges. After Ivor Fields (the photography and art shop) closed, he has kitted the back room with art supplies.

The copying machine they operate for you, and will show you an early sample as a quality control check.

I could find no website for Prices although they do appear as dealers on the web sites for Derwent Cumberland Pencils , Tollit and Harvey, and Mousebean Ltd.

Abingdon Artists - Spring 2006

This exhibition of 114 paintings by local Abingdon and nearby village artists is within the Council Chamber at the Guildhall, and runs until tomorrow. There is a raffle where you can win a painting of Abingdon Bridge.

Another idea is to allow you to vote for your favourite painting. This one was painted by the illustrator Valerie Price from the nearby village of Culham.