19 Bath Street

While I was away I got a few e-mails which have given me a few ideas for future posts. Take this... "Would you happen to know if number 19 Bath Street is still there & whether it's a house or a house over a shop now? "

In the 1953 Abingdon Who's Who The Black Swan is described as being on one corner of Bury Street which leads me to believe that 19 Bath Street was on the facing corner...

where those red bags are, near where Woolworths deliveries used to come in.

19 Bath Street disappeared from the Abingdon Who's Who Directory between 1967 and 1969. In 1967 it was Jeanettes, a ladies hairdresser, and some time before that it had been sometimes dual occupancy and sometimes single occupancy.

People like Jackie Smith, our town archivist, contactable through the town council, and our other notable local historians, and many of our lifelong Abingdonians, could probably tell you more...

Griff Returns A National Treasure

Griff Rhys Jones was last featured back in January 2006 on this blog.

He returned to Abingdon to give a talk about his book 'Rivers', then answered questions, and signed books.

Griff was introduced by Mark from Mostly Books as a 'National Treasure'.

Upstairs the Abingdon Scrabble Club were playing in the Bear Room. They meet every Thursday in the Guildhall ...

but normally are content to look for treble word scores in the Male Actors' Changing Room.

It works out quite a bit cheaper.

Griff needed those facilities and so the scrabble players moved to the Bear Room.

An Abingdon Banknote

It must be an important place when we used to have our own money. Not sure if this is for real but it was seen on ebay. All being well I'll be back tomorrow after this enforced layoff. The not Abingdon Blog may have more of that.

The Blizzard April 25 06

That is 1906

E. St. Helen's Street 1904

Hasn't changed a bit.

The Old Bell Inn

Grammar School, Abingdon.

Now Abingdon School.