Abingdon Town A.B.C

This is Rob Southey the chief boxing coach at the Abingdon Town Amateur Boxing Club. The club are trying to fund raise £200,000 for a gym.

Fundraising began at noon today with a sponsored twelve hour darts match, and a collection round the pubs in Abingdon.

(teams were looking at the Oxford Mail photographer at this point)

There has been a boxing club, or boxing training going on in Abingdon for as long as anybody could remember. Over the years they've been in rented rooms and gyms - not all suitable for boxing:

• Across from the Horse and Jocky pub on bath street (now Gosling Court) in the 30s and 40s
• Near the Abingdon Carpet factory (now the Upper Reaches hotel)
• Opposite the old railway station
• Behind Barclays Bank (in the 70's when Rob and Donald Southey first went as young lads)
• Old Gaol (during the 80's and 90's) until it closed
• Dalton Barracks (while they had an army sponsor)
• Preston Road Community Centre (this year)

If they can raise £200K, and build their own gym, they kept telling me "It will be something for the kids." Not just boxers "It will be something everybody can use."

Anyway, 12 hours later, Dave accepted the trophy for winning the darts competition with the highest individual score. Over 2,000 darts had been thrown. About £2,500 was raised from the darts and the pub donations.

T Shirts were made and donated by The Warehouse near Coxeters.

The darts were all thrown at the Plough Inn, with thanks to the Landlord.

Ali needs a re-paint

Most of the murals on the Reynolds Way wall have survived in good condition. But Muhammed Ali could do with a re-paint.

Muhammed Ali used to visit Saxton Road, with his entourage, to see an old friend - which is why he is so well remembered down that way.

Car Park Review revisited

Looks like the Car Park review has had one effect. The access to levels at the multi-story have been swapped about to make it easier for shoppers. Either that or somebody has been out with Letraset .

Flood Fair Announced

1. This development at the Old Crossroads garage got flooded in July. The developers need to reconsider flood alleviation measures before going ahead.

2. Next door in Ladygrove Paddock work is finally underway to restore the flooded sheltered housing.

There will be a flood fair at the Guildhall in Abingdon on 7 February between 2.30 and 8pm. The Vale web site has more information.

Abingdon should be top

Opposite the Baptist Church on Ock Street there is a tyre and exhaust specialist.

They know their alloy wheels, tyres and exhausts.

On their Corporate Website...

I would not expect to see Abingdon quite so low down the order. To my mind they should be ahead of those top ranking Surrey towns.

Co-op Building - January Progress

There was a large delivery of scaffolding poles soon after this picture was taken.


Two days later. Onward and Upward!

Ock Street Remembered

In 2006 crowds went to the Conduit Centre to see a weekend exhibition called The Ock Street Exhibition. Before the 1930s slum clearances about two thirds of Abingdon lived around Ock Street.

The 2006 exhibition comprised pictures and snippets of text on display boards.

It is back - creatively redone - using the County Hall Museum display cases.

The Christmas stage has been retained and converted into the interior of an Ock Street Kitchen.

One lady recalls ""Our cottage had two rooms, one up and one down, the only door opened into the downstairs room and the stairs went out of that room into the bedroom. There was a pocket-handkerchief sized garden, and across the other side of that was a wash house."

This display shows Stimpson the Grocer, located where Dominoes Pizza now does business.

There were artifacts such as this penny farthing made by Coxeters - still a shop name in Abingdon.

On Saturday there was a gathering of the clans when people who had helped create this exhibition came to share their memories. One lady said that this was the first time in all these years she had been up to the museum.

The exhibition is on until Wednesday 27 February 2008.

Ock Street Remembered - NEW BOOK AVAILABLE SOON - An Abingdon Community

Swingtime

This building was once a pub but is now the Royal British Legion Club and HQ.

In the function room beside the bar, George Haslam was tonight conducting his Abingdon Big Band - 'Swingtime'.

The British Legion Club and HQ is about to be 'refurbished'

and ,by about Easter, will be ready again

should George return blowing his whistle on 'track twenty-nine' on the Chattanooga choo choo.