Wake Up Call for Old Gaol

The Old Gaol had a wake up call at 11 on the Market Place. People brought alarm clocks, whistles, and saucepan lids.

This is the Old Gaol, this morning. A decision is soon to be made about its redevelopment, and the protesters want to see community use.

Dr Evan Harris the local MP is seen here, alongside some of the Cog campaigners. They did the speeches...

And then everybody else made a loud noise. St Nics church bells even starting ringing.

The whole event was rounded off by a more soothing performance by Jazz Cafe. If you are not watching the Rugby tonight then Jazz Cafe are performing at St Helen Church at 7:30 tonight.

By the way Abingdon Rugby Club have a new website. From the website it looks like the Rugby Club is the best place to watch the final between England and South Africa this evening.

Glass and Steel

The glass and steel entrance and side of Waitrose allows you to look into the bright shop from outside.

The glass atrium at the top of Station House allows people living there to have a lounge with sunlight sunset and stars.

Yesterday evening there was a public meeting to discuss what should be done with the County Hall. Architectural drawing, were shown ,demonstrating how the undercroft could be glazed with large non reflective glass panels - inside the arches. A glass and steel lift could extend up to the upper storey and down to the basement.

There were differences of opinion, and a good discussion. The County Hall is one of 400 Grade I listed buildings that English Heritage has a duty of care to protect. Three representatives from English Heritage were there to listen to the debate. Their starting point is that they would not mind a lift going from the basement to the sessions hall (half-way up) but they would prefer it to tone in with the stone. They were not too keen on glazing in of the under croft, but were there to listen.

Some local people sided with the English Heritage view for aesthetic reasons. Others wanted better access-for-all to both a permanent Abingdon exhibition on the top floor and a changing exhibition in the sessions hall.

Opinion was also divided on glazing in, as it has been since the idea was first suggested in Victorian times, but, with advances in glass technology, some people had moved towards the idea of the undercroft being glazed in. The positive view was it could act as a show case for Abingdon and the museum. Those against were worried about spoiling the open nature, and character of the covered area, and whether the glass could withstand vandalism.

Lottery funs are soon predicted to dry up for heritage projects as the olympics takes more and more of the cash. So it is now, or .... wait ten years. A decision cannot wait ... Success depend on lottery funds. and getting them depends on local people and English Heritage being behind the project.

Another Marketing Suite bites the dust

This is what the Barratts marketing suite looked like a few weeks ago...

Look at it now.

Tree Work at Albert Park

The dogs can sense that something is wrong. They don't need to be bloodhounds.

Not one, but two trees are down at Albert Park.

Just the trunk remains, and a pile of sawdust at the base. No other debry. Everything else has been cleared away, apart from a few leaves.

This is no accident.

Farmers Market

I prefer the Farmers Market in Old Station Yard. It seems more cosy than when it used to be split: half under the Abbey Gateway, and half under the museum.

The Monday Market had a second week off - because of the Runaway Fair, and so this week the Farmers Market had the town more to it self.

Blog Action Day - Radley Lakes

Today is Blog Action Day on the environment so this in my post on that theme.

Pictures are from the cycle path bordering the Lake that RWE NPower want to fill with ash waste from the local power station. Many trees have been cut. Fences erected. Drainage pipes put in place.

A strange black skirt has been added.

RWE NPower are just waiting to get the final go ahead, and the
Save Radley Lakes campaign are still trying by all legitimate means to stop them. But it has just been announced that their attempt to get it designated a town green has been rejected.

So will this be the last autumn to enjoy these scenes?

Runaway Fair

The fair rides are back again, but this time the little childrens rides go centre stage.

The runaway fair takes place a week after the Michaelmas Fair.

Rather than shutting all of High Street, and Ock Street, only High Street is shut. But it can be a squeeze for the buses to go round via West St Helen Street.