Abingdon Blog

The Abingdon Blog is a photo record of events and places in Abingdon - mostly every day.

Saturday, 13 February 2010

Answers - from yesterdays quiz

The inscribed stones and cobbles, shown yesterday, mainly refer to aspects of Abingdon's past...

The Alleyway with the stones lead into Neave Mews - named after Airey Neave, the M.P for Abingdon until 1979. 'Public Servant Secret Agent' is a biography that tells 'The Elusive Life and Violent Death of Airey Neave'

March 30, 1979 was a sad day in British politics - the Irish National Liberation Army murdered Airey Neave in a car bomb attack inside the House of Commons parking lot and concluded one of the most remarkable political stories of the 20th century. During World War II, Neave escaped from Colditz and became an intelligence agent eventually serving at the Nuremberg Trials. He was also Margaret Thatcher's campaign manager when she became the first female leader of the Conservative Party.

Beer and Books. Could be taken 2 ways. The monks brewed beer and copied books or it may simply be a reference to the modern industries of brewing and printing. Morlands was probably still functioning when the development was conceived.

'A vicarage house with orchard+ garden mounted round with a stone wall... Refers to a house known as the Vicarage House which once stood on the corner of St Edmund's Lane and West St Helen Street NB St Helen's Church did not have a vicarage until 1874.

Why 'Today + Tomorrow'? Can't really explain the significance of this. Perhaps because other stones refer to the past and this one refers to the new road looking to the future.

'Twenty hides - a gift from Cissa - by gravel terrace three rivers meet - two swans rise'? This was the land Cissa granted to his nephew for the founding of the monastery. Abingdon sits on the a gravel terrace, and the three rivers that meet here are the Stert, Ock and Thames. There are 2 swans on the town's coat of arms granted in 1958. The Abbott may have been entitled to keep a pair of swans on the river - usually a royal prerogative.

'Faith + Industry' is the motto on the Abingdon Town Council coat of arms

Sister and brother, 7th century Saxons. Cilla said to have founded nunnery "Helenstowe" on/near site later occupied by St Helen's Church.

Friday, 12 February 2010

John's 2nd Miscellany

Less of a miscellany, this time round, and more a set of engraved pavement stones... nethertheless, see what you know, and I'll give you John and Jackie's answers tomorrow.

The stones with the questions are all to be found down this public secret alleyway. Who is the 'Public Servant Secret Agent'?

Why 'Beer and Books' to start with?

What means this riddle... 'A vicarage house with orchard+ garden mounted round with a stone wall'.

Why 'Today + Tomorrow'?

What means this riddle... 'Twenty hides - a gift from Cissa - by gravel terrace three rivers meet - two swans rise'?

Why 'Faith + Industry'?

Why 'Cilla + Hean' - also featured in the 1st Miscellany so what are they?

Thursday, 11 February 2010

Plant of The Week


Anybody who has read the Abingdon Herald will have seen that the Snowdop is 'Plant of the Week'. This group are in the Abbey Gardens. The Herald says snowdrops are a little late this year because of all the snow.

There was even a flurry of snow overnight, but having wrapped themselves up tight the snowdrops have survived to brighten up another day.

Wednesday, 10 February 2010

Graphic Novel Out


There is artwork by Peter Bellingham (aka Scooter Mckenzie) at the museum as part of the Art and Artists of Abingdon exhibition. He also now has a graphic novel out ...

It's called 'The puzzling cases of D. Cypher, Private Eye'. In each of the six short stories you solve the puzzles, collect the clues and help Cypher crack the case. Visit www.scootermckenzie.blogspot.com for more details.

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

Jazz and Shakespeare


At the Broad Face there is jazz every Sunday Afternoon from 4PM, and R&B The First Thursday of the Month from 9PM.

From Wednesday, 'Alls Well That Ends Well' is on at the Unicorn Theatre's famous "Elizabethan Style" stage.

One way to publicise such gigs or events in Abingdon is to send an e-mail to The Abingdon Diary. It has been going for about a year now, and the e-mail is on the site.

Monday, 8 February 2010

Two Shop Windows


This art work caught my eye. It is made from pussy willow, and is to be seen in the window of Fabulous Flowers in Bridge Street. It is St Valentine' Day next Sunday - the first major commercial celebration of the year with restaurants and shops around town advertising their Valentine's Day / weekend's offerings.

This dressing table, in the window of Abode Interiors (in Coxeter House) also caught my eye - because of the reflection of the red door opposite (from Clock House) in the mirror.

Sunday, 7 February 2010

Five Lombardy Poplars


This picture was taken three nights ago looking at the row of five Lombardy Poplars on the far side of the River. The moon had been full the night before and it was low in the water. I cycled home from something I was doing, and came back out with the camera, placed it on the ground, pressed the shutter and let it do its own thing. It found some colour where I saw just moonlight and darkness.

Saturday, 6 February 2010

Ock Valley Tree Work

It is the tree chopping season. There is lots of evidence of work on the trees at the town end of the Ock Valley Walk. There are the mounds of wood chip
...
and the piles of wood left over from pollarded willows.


After such a clearance new vistas open up - like this one across towards the Brewery Development.

Friday, 5 February 2010

Flood Action and Action 4 Abingdon


This is the scene looking up Caldecott Road today. One of the drainage ditches - put there to prevent flooding - is looking a little clogged up and far worse round the corner where there looks to have been a mudslide.

Tonight (Friday) a new group is meeting at Preston Road Community Centre at 7:30 PM. It is called the Ock Valley Flood Group and I would not be surprised if they push for action on drainage ditches. People at risk of flooding by the Ock should have been invited, but if not - communication is not always brilliant in Abingdon - all are welcome.

Meanwhile a happy second birthday to Action 4 Abingdon - set up just two years ago today.

I did not find many pictures on the forum but did borrow this one with the caption ... "After many months of deliberation, the traffic scheme group came up with a new layout that was sure to please everyone."

The latest big issue is the future of the Chamber of Commerce as a new group is set up. Everyone wants a group that represents ALL town businesses but not everyone appears agreed about who should run it. The Heralds front page story this week is 'Traders Set up new town body.'

Thursday, 4 February 2010

New Build Blog


Thanks to Brigid for news of her new blog. The blog follows the destruction of the family home, and the build of a new eco-friendly replacment. You can follow it at Blog My Ecobuild. The pictures are all hers, although I hope to visit in April when she predicts an exciting time. Link added at the side

Last Tuesday they saw the bungalow being dismantled...

and this week it has been taken away.

By the way, this blog will be changing before the deadline of March 26th. Blogger are removing support for the way I have been doing it up to now (using FTP). They say "only .5% of active blogs are published via FTP — yet the percentage of our engineering resources devoted to supporting FTP vastly exceeds that. " In other words, more trouble than we are worth. So I will be forced to find another way - a new build.

Wednesday, 3 February 2010

All Future Gigs Cancelled

It is a great shame to see that all future Music-at-The-Unicorn gigs are cancelled. Over recent years Pam, who organised it all, arranged some very good gigs. It was something very good in Abingdon.

Last year, for example, there was ...
Friday 27 February 2009 - Eddie Walker and Fraser Speirs
Saturday 7 March - Loves Holyday
Saturday 18 March - Bob Fox

Tuesday 26 April - Judith Owen
Friday 12th June - Steve Tilston
Thursday 9th July - Carmina

Thursday 6 August - Blackheart
Friday 11 September - Reg Meuross
Thursday 1 October - Show of Hands
Friday 6 November - Spiers and Boden

Friday 11th December - Dylan Project...

An amazing effort!

Tuesday, 2 February 2010

February Begins Cold


There was a layer of powdery snow as the second cold spell of the year continued into February. This is the top of West St Helen Street at about 7:40.

At that time the fruit and vedge stall, on the Monday Market, was already serving customers, wheras most of the stalls were still setting up.

The paths beside and down to the River Thames from Abingdon Bridge were white. There could be more snow on the way, but this lot was soon gone.

Monday, 1 February 2010

Brewery Artwork


It looks like there has always been a double yellow line along Cooper's Lane, in the brewery development,

but it is a recent paint job

and wasn't there last week.

The sculpture shown in both pictures is by artist Walter Jack and is made of identical iron planks welded together and called 'barrel' - something once common on this site. It weighs nearly one and a half tons.