PRCC- Stand up

The first time I've seen stand up comedy in Abingdon. You can go most weeks in Oxford but here it is a rarity.

Andy Kind, from Stoke, and Tony Vino from Preston made a 300 mile round trip to be at Preston Road Community Centre. (The event was hosted by the Vineyard Church who normally put on a cabaret for the local community in January.)

The comedians did build up a good rapport with the front two tables where the Older and Bolder Fitness group were sitting, especially a lady called Eileen. "So when are you going to show us one of your back flips then Eileen?"

Tony did try to find out a bit about Abingdon from the audience. He said 'Since you are so near Oxford, is it posh living here in Abingdon?'.

Somebody said 'No'.

Somebody else added "Its going down hill. All the shops are closing."

"Thats the recession" said Tony.

"But it happened in Abingdon first."

Whats On Locally?

Here is Christopher from Local Roots, with Bobbie, and Hester.

Bobbie, and Hester have been collecting information about events in Abingdon for the new 'What's On in Abingdon', which now includes Local Roots.

If Bobbie, and Hester do not knock on your door, events can still be sent to the email address abingdondiary@otcn.co.uk .

Thanks to Al from otcn (Oxfordshire Town Chambers Network) for the picture.

lunchtime walk

I picked up a Panini at Cafe Gias... then took Harry round Albert Park...

A large delivery lorry was at one end of Edward Street - near the entrance that leads to the catering company , and the piano restorer

Abingdon Beds were unloading deliveries at their warehouse. Their showroom is at the other end of Edward street.

Seeing the camera, he did ask whether I was the one who did that new Abingdon book he had just bought. It was very interesting. "No" I said "That is Judy Thomas and Elizabeth Drury. I just do a blog about Abingdon."

Air Your Views

Traffic was heavy at 8 am over St Helen's Wharf yesterday morning. Pavements were slippery with black ice.

Late afternoon and early evening, there was a consultation exercise at the Guildhall. One part called 'Air Your Views' concentrated on air quality in the town centre. Narrow roads with tall buildings don't allow traffic fumes to disperse easily.

There was another consultation called 'Your Vale, Your Future' concerning the new local area plan looking forward to 2026. This is where one controversial idea is to put new houses in South Abingdon, where congestion is currently already bad, in the hope it will lead to a new road, and maybe even a new river bridge.

There followed an evening round-table discussion. Still time to respond to Air your Views, and Your Vale, Your Future.

The Bishop's Blog

Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading, was at St Michael's Church, Abingdon, on Sunday for a service of dedication after all their recent changes.

I've found evidence that Bishop Stephen has his own blog on BBC Radio Berkshire.

Here is another look at the interior, now the new chairs are all in position.

And this is how it looked before.

The pictures are again thanks to John.

Another John has sent me a link to his notes on last week's meeting of the Carbon Cutters. It tells of upcoming events, including swapshops, and "An Inconvenient Truth".

Last Dam Busters

The Compton Theatre Organ, owned by the Abingdon Theatre Organ Preservation Society, has been played at the Abbey Hall for 42 years. This was to be the last time. Nicholas Martin was in the cockpit. The Mayor gave a little speech.

Normally the audience is about 50 or 60, but this time there was 4 or 5 times that number.

The regular users subsidy is being removed for hirers of rooms in the Guildhall, and the organ society no longer feel able to meet the increased cost of hiring the hall or organists, with smaller audiences.

Here Nicholas is playing the Dam Busters theme.

(Thanks to Ian for the pictures. )

Co-op Day 3

Entertainment was laid on for the first Saturday since the new Co-op opened.

A D.J. was playing the Travelling Wilberries when I went in.

Clowning around were Abbey and Teabags, who did free face painting and balloon modelling. On the subject of tea, one lady was telling me that it was good to be able to get '99' tea again in Abingdon. But she wondered why there was no delicatessen like the old co-op. People of her age like to get only a couple of slices of ham, or bacon, and have it cut as they want.

On the other hand Frugal Food has a deli next door, as has Added Ingredients.

PRCC - new youth club

A new youth club had its first meeting at Preston Road Community Centre. The idea was suggested a few weeks ago by the local PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers).

This is Chris, one of the South Abingdon PCSOs. They have been joined by some volunteer youth workers from the area in getting it off the ground. The group running it is a partnership of the police, PRCC and the Vineyard Church. Its based on a similar group on the Peachcroft estate in North Abingdon.

The club starts at 7:30 on Fridays nights for 12-17 years olds. It will run the second and forth Fridays until there are sufficient voluteers for weekly opening. Just as I was leaving a BBC camera crew were arriving, doing a documentary round South Abingdon about the work of PCSOs. 25 kids turned up for the first week and 24 registered to become members of the club.

What the club still needs is a fold-up table tennis table.

White Stripe Pigeons

Time for a restful post today. Two pigeons on the railings - both with a white tripe on their beaks.

Abingdon School Open Day

Abingdon School had an open day last Saturday morning. It was a chance for prospective pupils to view lessons in progress - lessons continue through Saturday mornings. It was also a chance to look round the sports hall opened last autumn. I hoped to take some pictures but, having spoken to a number of staff, that was not to be. In this day and age you cannot be too careful.

I was sent this picture of the outside of the new cedar-clad hall. More pictures of the sports hall can be seen on the school's website .

35 Ock Street - flood group set up

At 35 Ock Street (in front of the Baptist Church) there were about 70 people crowded into a steamy first floor room last night for a meeting about setting up an River Ock flood group. There were lots of ideas about what could be done such as dredging the River properly, clearing old channels, a flood storage area outside Abingdon etc.

It had been called by local councillors so I did hear some concerns that 'the council are trying to us to do their dirty work for free'. But there were also those ready to sign up and get things moving. Tight time scales have been put forward by the district council for groups applying for funding schemes. (Only £100K available across the district, but it can help bring in matched funding from other councils and agencies.)

Co-op Opening

The new Abingdon Co-op opens today. The Mayor will be there, and the town crier. I wish them well. (If only I could be there, but I'm off to work.)

A new bollard

Down near Saint Helen's Wharf, the metal barrier, which used to impede wheeled access, was removed last year. It was neither wheelchair nor baby-buggy friendly, and had to be got rid of in these post Disability Discrimination Act times.

The replacement was a traditional bollard which fits in better with the traditional looking wharf.

Many thanks to Colin, an ex-pat Abingdonian, for sending this picture of the Wharf. He started scanning old negatives onto the computer, and found this one taken by his dad.

Abingdon Whats On?

A new website has been set up, and very soon it will be followed by paper copies showing Whats On in Abingdon.

The intention is to show all that is going on in Abingdon during, what is traditionally, a quieter time of year. But why stop there... Everybody can send in what they are doing to abingdondiary@otcn.co.uk. Hopefully, then it will run and run.

First up on the 'Whats On' is an evening with Joanna Trollope at Saint Helen and Katherine School, hosted by Mostly Books.

It's already too late for a performance of the Bach Christmas Oratorio - last night at Saint Helen's Church - which Harry and me listened to from the porch for a few minutes, during a dog-walk.

Into the Labyrinth

At St Michaels, this is the newly made labyrinth in the style of the ancient Abbey of Abingdon.
Here parishioners are walking the labyrinth under the general guidance of the Revd.. Sally Welch,

a Diocesan adviser on labyrinths, their history, and their potential contribution to the spiritual life..

(Thanks to John again for the pictures and words.)

Stratton Way Changes

The road works have already started at the top end of Stratton Way. They will run for another 3 to 4 weeks.

Elsewhere in Stratton Way there is a new church on Sundays from 11 - 12:30 at the NET youth centre. For anybody who has been enjoying watching 'Around the World in 80 Religions' this church could be of interest. It had its origin in Nigeria in 1952. They have already set up a church in Barton in Oxford.

Flood Meeting

The first picture shows Turbeville Close in South Abingdon in July 2007, and was taken by me.

The other pictures are thanks to a young lady who lives in Turbeville. She, her brother, and mum and dad were flooded out for over a year.

This week a meeting is to be held to set up a flood group or groups along the River Ock - depending on response. 900 odd fliers have gone out. The meeting will be...

Date: 22 January 2009
Time: 19:00 - 20:30
Location: 35, Ock Street Community Centre (in front of the Baptist Church).

This meeting is to enable residents to come together to look at ways to respond to the threat of flooding including amelioration measures, arranging community warnings and actions, and emergency planning. And as a group they will be able to get funding and help from councils and other authorities.

There will also be advice on protecting property.

(There is already a longstanding campaigning group called SAFAG - South Abingdon Floodplain Action Group, but as I understand it they are more a pressure group, wheras the new groups will be more about getting people working together at a local level. Another flood group on the River Stert has also been set up.)


Finally the River Ock wending its way to Abingdon tonight, just after the mill, and just before sunset, and secure in its banks.

In the space of a few hundred yards

Near one end of the Ock Valley Walk a primitive construction has been put together by some school boys.

While at the Drayton Road end these three story dwellings, on the site of the Crossroads Garage, have just had the rafters added.

A misty day

Looking upstream from Wilsham Road, Saint Helen's church steeple has all but disappeared above the wharf.

Along this line of Horse Chestnut trees, near Caldecott Rec, is where the old canal once ran.

More Of Abingd0n Past & Present

This new book has recently appeared in shop windows. Its a sequel to Abingd0n Past and Present, contrasting more past and present scenes.

The second picture shows more copies of the book in the Bookstore window.

A new Abingdon shop blog has just appeared called 'Retro Sweets in Abingdon.' The shop 'Sweets Chocolate' bring tastes from the past into the present. They have just introduced a sweet from 1898 - uncle joes mint balls

And shown here from their main website is a selection called 'School Days'.

Opens 22nd January 2009

Just 9 days to go,

and somebody has already begun stacking the shelves.

The old music shop

The Scaffolding was put up at the old music shop last Wednesday.

Up the front and over the top...

but down round the back it has already been taken down. That work has been done. The building is being refitted with flats above, and a shop just on the bottom story.

It used to be a two-story music shop with: CDs, sheet music, and instruments, and above it all: children's music lessons in the rooms above the shop, accessed by the old fire escape.

Now, Abingdon is a musical place with musicians and bands but no music shop.

A Change in the Weather?

This is how it was left last night. Still cold. Everything was outlined in white as night fell. The ground was hard.

This morning we woke to a red sky, and a thin layer of snow on the pavements of Saint Helen's Wharf

, but despite the early snow it felt as if the cold had let go its grip.

A trail of pine needles

On the Market Place today old Christmas trees are being recycled and turned into woodchip and mulch.

This is one of the larger trees being fed into the shredder.

There was a trail of pine needles through our house, up West Saint Helen Street, along High Street, and to the Market Place. This is our tree, as was,

and this cloud of woodchip and needles is the last I saw of it.

'Oxford City Council' in Abingdon

Here in the heart of Abingdon are signs from Oxford City Council.

The area is just off the Radley Road. The roads nearby are: Daisy Bank, Campion Road, Purslane, and Ramsoms Way. Some of the homes belong to Oxford City Homes and Community Housing.

Being a distant landlord they sometimes need reminding of their responsibilities.

I always take a keen interest in the Oxford Daily Photo, a photo blog with one picture a day. When there is something special in Oxford additional pictures do get posted on an overflow blog. This week there were some of Ice Skating on Port Meadow in Oxford.

Stratton Way - 3 years on

One plan likely to go ahead, early in 2009, is that the road at the top end of Stratton Way will get widened, and the pavement narrowed. Traffic going straight on (like this car and another half dozen behind) will no longer get stuck behind traffic turning right. It may scupper any chance of a shared cycle lane on the pavement though.

Time has moved on for the subway. The pedestrian crossing ,you can see further down, was put in on a temporary basis some years ago and worked so well it stayed. It is nearer where pedestrians want to go, and nearer the repositioned bus stops. There is little chance that it will be removed, even though it does not work so well in the AbITs (2006) traffic system.

Tesco Kids Clothes

The answer to yesterday's question 'Who still sells Children's clothes in Abingdon now Adams and Woolworths have closed?'

Tesco have given over a lot of space to children's clothes, many of them heavily discounted. Tesco also seemed to have cornered the Abingdon market in CDs and DVDs and PC games.

Bottled beers are currently being heavily discounted which obviously makes it more difficult for local pubs and off-licences to compete. But Tesco are more concerned about the likes of Asda, and Morrisons.

Adams Closes

On 31st Dec 2008 Price Waterhouse were appointed as the receivers for Adams kidswear. A week later they have decided that 111 Adams Stores should close immediatly. The Abingdon store was among those to go. 160 elsewhere are to stay open as Price Waterhouse try to sell them as a going concern.

This photocopied sheet is all there is in the window of the Abingdon Adams to say what has happened.

Where can you now buy children's clothes in Abingdon? De Paaw closed last year, Adams have just gone, and Woolworths are into their last day?

A Frosty Day

There was a hard frost last night which stayed most of the day. The nearest the sun got to appearing was soon after dawn, then it clouded over.

Pier - Last 3 days

It can be difficult doing This Abingdon blog when I'm away, but today in Bristol I found an Abingdon connection...

The Pier furniture shop in Bristol has just 3 days left before it is closed by the receiver. The receiver is using the same posters as Woolworths. Maybe they got a cheap job lot.

There was not much left at the Pier. But look at the writing on the boxes and you'll see they have an HQ with an Abingdon address.

We bought a lot of our furniture from the Pier 'Seconds Warehouse' in nearby Milton Park .

Woolworths - Last 3 Days

I can't really believe it but we are near the end of an era...

Going,

Going,

Gone!!!

It was the Halfords store in Abingdon that closed on Friday 2nd January 2009.

But the first three pictures are of Woolworths who are into their final countdown.

Its not so long ago that they had a major revamp. This is before. This is after. It just wasn't enough, sadly.

New Year's Day - Walk 2

The Abingdon Boundary walk began on the Market Place, and followed the 1556 town boundaries - as close as possible, but missing out the bit where the chamberlain used to swim the river.

The Town Crier announced each stop by wishing everybody a 'Happy New Year.'

and Martin Smith described the old town boundaries as we went.

The walk differed from all previous years, in that the Abbey Millstream could be crossed at the new bridge, and so we probably kept closer to the original boundary.

Then we crossed the weir to end where Abingdon had a little land on the far bank.

This boundary stone marks the spot. It is currently being used by the envionment agency as a gate latch. Here is Martin Smith and a lady over from France, who managed to do the walk in high heels. The going was firm, and ice remained on some puddles.

New Year's Day - Walk 1

The Christian Aid Walk starts from one of the churches. This year it began at All Saints Church, off Appleford Drive - just behind the Boundary House.

It took the walkers up through Sunningwell to Boars Hill. Some walkers are sponsored for the seven mile circular walk, and others just pay a donation to take part. From this year's walk the organisers hope to raise £2.5K for Christian Aid.