Ock Mill Alphabet Games

Somebody has been playing alphabetic games with the Ock Mill sign...

You can see the Travel Inn behind the wall. It was built a couple of years ago. And now we have the new nursing home next to that (previous blog). There is also a brand new planning application (application 06/00343/FUL) between the nursing home and the Motorcycle Centre for Four storey residential development of one & two bedroom and studio flats with parking for twelve cars. It is for the same development company as brought us the nursing home.

Up until about fifteen years ago, the Ock Mill lay derelict. Alongside, were uncared for fields which locals assumed were flood plain.


But the Beefeater chain bought up the Mill, refurbished it, and the rest is history.

In the early 1990s, The Ock Mill was popular with young familes because the portions were large, and there were very reasonably priced Mr Men Meals for the children - including an activity pack with crayons and badges and puzzle sheets. Then a few years ago, the management went up market. They renamed themselves "Out and Out", and introduced smaller more sophisticated portions.

Now its back to being a proper Beefeater Restaurant again with larger portions. However, there is not so much room for a bouncy castle in the back garden anymore since the Travel Inn was built round the back.

Nursing Home - 2nd visit

The previous blog about this Nursing Home on Marcham Road was on 2nd January. Four months on, three more stories have been added and the scaffolding is being taken down.

The home will be run by Carebase for 60 elderly people suffering from dementia.

There will be 20 rooms on each of the three floors, 15 parking spaces for the home and garden patios by the river.

Carebase already run 12 other homes, including one in Burcot, near Dorchester.

Any Questions - Abingdon

The panel on tonights Any Questions program from Abingdon School were:

* Lord Heseltine: Why ever did the Tories not choose him for leader after Margeret Thatcher?
* Sarah Bradford: Royal Historian and Biographer
* (Dimbleby and producer)
* Sir Jeremy Greenstock: The Former Ambassador to the UN/Iraq who has written a book: the inside story about how we were misled to war. It has an embargo on it.
* Jack Dromey: Labour Party Treasurer/Deputy General Secretary of the TGWU who blew the whistle on Downing Streets questionable loans for honours system.

The ticket said "You should arrive between 6.45 and 7.15pm... Please note: Photography is not permitted at the programme...

There was a warm up lady who told us a little of the history of the program. It began in 1948. There have been 15000+ questions. The first ever question in 1948 was "What would be the effect on the country if more women gained political power."

We were told that as there were no cameras, nodding our heads would do no good, and so to make our feelings known we could clap. We were given a little training in expressing ourselves with claps. First we tried out a moderate clap, than an enthusiastic clap, and then an over the top clapping. After that we tried showing disapproval with muttering, then muttering louder, then snarling.

The panel came out. We did Over-the-top clapping to which Jonathon Dimbleby said "Don't strain yourselves...", There followed a practise question to check sound levels before going on air. It was about what film or stage role they'd like to play. Lots of jokes around Michael Hesseltine's former image as Tarzan.

Anyway the program began with Jonathon Dimbleby announcing we were in Abingdon, it being the 450th anniversary of Abingdon's charter... and the 750th anniversary of the founding of the first school in Abingdon, to which Abingdon school traces its lineage.

But there was another anniversary today, reflected in the first and last questions. Happy 80th birthday to the Queen.

Peachcroft Christian Centre - Metal Frame

Here is where the builders are with the extension to the Peachcroft Christian Centre. Last time they had just laid the foundations, and now they have added a steel girder frame.

St Edmund's Church

The logo of the Church in Abingdon has a cross inherited from Abingdon Abbey, and three little circles. Those circles are the three circles of Abingdon's most famous son, St Edmund. One represents Father, one Son, and one Holy Spirit.

St Edmund should be better remembered in the place of his birth, Abingdon. His childhood home is thought to be in St Edmund's Lane, where there used to be a chapel in his memory, but that is so far back, that nobody is sure of its location. St Edmunds Catholic Church has his name and his three circles on their sign.

Back in 1783, the then Vicar of Abingdon was asked by his Bishop: 'Are there any reputed papists in your parish?' He replied 'One only, - old and very poor.' But go to St Edmunds now on a Sunday morning for any of the masses, particularly the 9:30 and 11:30, and you'll see a full church.

The home of the priest, Mgr. John Nelson, is connected to the church by a covered alleyway. So the priest can easily go from home to church without being pelted by eggs!!! This did happen to early nuns.

Horse and Jockey

The Horse & Jockey public house closed in 2002. It had looked in a run-down state for some time, with threadbare curtains, dusty windows, and the paint on the sign of horse and jockey peeling away. It looks much smarter now that it has been converted into flats and renamed as Gosling Court. It should have been 'Gosing' but the l got added somehow.

On the other side of Bath Street is another interesting building, now used as a teaching block by Abingdon School. It reminds me of the split-level barn used in the BBC production of Thomas Hardy's "Mayor of Casterbridge".

Skatepark Needed

The Vale of White Horse District council intends to build a new skatepark in Abingdon.

There is already a BMX track at the Radley end of Abingdon off Audlett Drive, but young people have petitoned for something more suitable, and been heard.

Problems with the existing BMX track are: it is on the far edge of Abingdon; the track is prone to flooding and is breaking up in places; the half-pipe has been removed .

Anyway over to some real skaters comments taken from a petition website.

Come on people we need a skatepark. please sign the petition their ent nutin good roung abingdon we need somethin to liven the place up!

Yeah, we definatley need a skate park, keeps us off streets! Matt rules, he needs somewhere to show off his talent! :)

Get oneee! sum ppl dun like to spend all their spare time just hangin around shops n lazing around. a skate park is what everyone needs!

Better than getting into a fight each night, count me in, i know it sounds stupid but introduce a cheap membership type thing, otherwise all the rudeboys around abingdon are just going to ruin it for everyone come on council! we need this park so much! and its not just going to be for "kids", its going to be for everyone (im 19), so its got to be a good park,. not one of these "bought out of a catalogue crap parks that are a waste of money and dont get used"

A skatepark is needed. Preferably a brilliant one with miniramp, decent funboxes and some kind of speed ramp and a halfpipe like the newest one at iffley!!!

heya they shud blaitently make a skate park but no one shud tell n e chavs where it is!!!!!

Need some decent flat bank rail combinations Is this Abingdon Viriginia USA? I live there!

Net Net Net

A few years ago there used to be a pop band called Wet Wet Wet. This building had three cards slotted in three different front facing windows. Each one looked like the word Wet to me. I finally realised many years after that it said "Net Net Net" not "Wet Wet Wet".

More recently local bands played here in a regular event: the Abingdon battle of the bands. They played against each other to see which is best by popular acclaim. This event seemed very popular, although I never went myself.

There is also this grotto overgrown with ivy. It is a 19th Century Folley. On developing the Net it was used to hold an oil tank.