Later Thundery Showers

The umbrellas were up. This is looking down St Edmunds Lane, across the West St Helen Street Carpark, to the brewery development.

These cars are coming round Stert Street into High Street, and making a splash.

Home Farm Trust etc

The Home Farm Trust from Milton Heights were selling plants, and things. They have the red banner which says:HFT Supporting People with Learning Disabilities www.hft.org.uk

Their website says "We have a great respect for the individual and we work hard to provide services which not only offer quality care and support but which strive to bring out the best in each person because everyone has something special and unique to offer."

This shows people browsing their bric-a-brac stall. In the background is a Tombola.

At the same time the Abingdon Concert Band were performing an outdoor concert. The Abingdon Concert Band has been active in the Abingdon area for over 20 years. It was originally called the Abingdon Military Band, and was founded by a number of ex-service bandsmen. Their membership is open to players of a suitable standard, and they play varied music, not just marches, which is why they got renamed.

And here and there came visitors to Abingdon - people passing through on this Saturday - the first great migration of the school holidays. These teenagers with Ruck-sacks are outside Glendales on West St Helen Street.

Swan Upping

The traditional annual census of the swan population, The Swan Upping, took place during this sunny week. It finished this evening at about 6:30 at Abingdon Bridge. Here the boatmen brought all their boats together, and raised a glass "To the Queen." They then went on to the Broad Face for a few beers, and the odd few songs.

Earlier, people had been waiting along the river for their arrival, wandering why they were taking so long. The flotilla had been expected at about 5:30, but 6:00 passed and there was not a sign. This is a good sign as it means a good year for swans.

Somebody said there were two swans and three cygnets near St Helens Wharf, and people were giving them food to keep them there.Anyway the flotilla eventually arrived, and zoomed in on these swans. The six boats created a circle round the swan family. The circle got smaller and smaller until all the swans could be caught, and brought on board.

They were all weighed, and their beaks and feathers checked. Rings were put on the birds that had not been previously ringed. The Royal swan counters then let the mother and cygnets go. The mother had a quick count 1..2..3, and then sailed off. The male swan who had put up the biggest struggle was then freed, a few feathers ruffled and looking agrieved.

The boats then rowed through Abingdon. This is the Queens own boat with the ER motif.Fellows Court and St Helens Church can be seen in the background. For the first time in months St Helens is seen without scaffolding. The bells are installed, and the dedication service for the new bells will be led by the Bishop of Reading on Tuesday.

Schools Out for Summer

And a group of lucky young people - with six or seven weeks holidays in front of them - near Abingdon Bridge dipping in the river and enjoying the seasonal sun.

Unauthorised Pontoon

The remains of the pontoon, decking, and roofing that had been built alongside one house at the marina have been pulled down, and this is all that is left. It did not have planning permission, neither did a redesign convince the planners to grant it retrospective planning permission.

Leach's the Printers

Their website says that "Leach's the Printers was founded in 1901 by Thomas Leach, initially producing stationery, Christmas cards and Easter cards for the clergy. " The still do a line of greetings and religious cards, books and stationary for schools, commercial brochures etc. etc.

And like the Abbey Press, blogged earlier today, they do their own line of local books including:
* The Story of Abingdon part one. 150,000,000 B.C. - 1186 A.D. by Mieneke Cox. (1986)
* Medieval Abingdon. The Story of Abingdon Part II by Mieneke Cox. (1989)
* Abingdon 1556-1702 Peace and War. The Story of Abingdon part three by Mieneke Cox. (1993)
* Abingdon. An 18th Century Country Town. The Story of Abingdon Part IV by Mieneke Cox. (1999)

Also like the Abbey Press, they are a traditional printers, in a location that has become residential. Leach's are located in Ock Street and back on to the new brewery development. Printing presses can make a noise and the new neighbours don't always understand that the printer was there first.

The current chairman is the grandson of Thomas Leach who founded the company. The building at 54 Ock Street would still be recognisable to Thomas Leach , although modern presses and computer technology have taken the place of traditional typesetting, and the premises have expanded at the back.

Abbey Press - older works

Abbey Press seems to be concentrating their efforts at the new Nuffield Centrum, but they still have their older printng works, situated like an island surrounded by the new housing of the Riverside Collection.

The Abbey Press is not to be confused with the Abingdon Press. The Abbey Press is Abingdon born and bred, and the Abingdon Press is in Nashville in the United States, and used to be The United Methodist Publishing House.

The Abbey Press Group have been printing in Abingdon since about 1839, making them one of Abingdon's longest established companies. They are nearly as old as the Abingdon Press in Nashville which has been going since 1789.

The Abbey Press sponsor many events and publications round the town. They got the Abbott of Abingdon installed on the Tesco roundabout. They have also brought us books like:
* Abingdon in camera : portrait of a country town, 1850-1950. Thomas, M. J. (1979).
* Abingdon who's who and directory. Abingdon Town Council . (1993)
* History of the Abingdon Fire Service. Hooke J. (1945).
* Historic streets of Abingdon. Baker, A. C. (1957)
* Cameos of Abingdon. Abingdon Town Council (2006)

The Riverside Collection

It is difficult to tell where one Town Centre development ends and another begins. But at least one can tell that this first picture is of the Riverside Collection - as viewed from the other side of the Mill Stream.

This second picture shows that this large development is being undertaken by Barra t Homes 'Britain's premier house builder.' Founded in 1958 in Newcastle, Barratt has built and sold around 300,000 homes. They are currently building and selling over 14,000 new homes a year all round the country.

Theire web site says
Abingdon "Now Launched!!!"

1 bedroom apartments from £201,950
2 bedroom apartments from £252,500
3 bedroom houses from £287,500

We will have to see if they go into orbit with these price tags.

These few houses have Plot numbers stuck in the window. And over the road is a notice to ask for consideration as the houses are occupied. Some roadways are still concrete with elevated drains waiting for a tarmac finish.

This large stretch of land with Waitrose in the distance has only just been begun. The former Burgess printworks, Bezier House, and 11 small business units were demolished to make way for houses.

The Town Council objected to the overdevelopment of the area and the increased traffic and the loss of town centre businesses. The district Council rejected the plans as being against the local plan. But on appeal a Planning Inspector overuled the council decision. It will be interesting to see what traffic mitigation measures were won out of the developers. The outside planning inspector said "I do not consider that the loss of a limited amount of industrial floorspace would necessarily increase private car use or affect the economic health of Abingdon."

And here again is a view of the Riverside. This time we see the restored Victorian Pond in the Abbey Grounds with the builders flags reflected in the water.

The Riverside Barratts show on their website is the River Thames looking towards St Helens rather than this lazy backwater.

Overload

This cyclist has come to a halt. His attention has probably been taken by one of the banners or posters alongside the railings of the Market Place. Everything is competing for his attention. white banners, yellow posters, orange posters...
Sensory overload is when too much stimulation from too many sources result in overload and the inability to take in any more.

Abbey Centre Herb Garden

Salters Steamers

Its hard to believe that it is going to get even hotter. Today felt like a scorcher. There were flying ants swarming out of the pavement cracks near our front door.

This is what the sky looked like at one point, but mostly it was just blue.

One of the reasons given for re-opening the outdoor pool was to give people somewhere safe to swim rather than the River Thames. There were quite a few people in the Thames today - having jumped off the bridge.

Salter Steamers operate many boats up and down the river. There are the scheduled services between Abingdon and Oxford, and Abingdon and Wallingford. There are also boats hired for parties.

On board this boat a piano played sultry jazz, and the conversation had a refined hum.

It is just coming into Sandford Lock, four miles upstream from Abingdon, on the way to Oxford.

Antique Fair

There was the monthly antiques fair at the Guildhall today. Nothing unusual in that. I took a picture of these people examining an old clock. It seems unremarkable like many things in this blog. It will be of more interest when its gone.