At the Tesco Extra superstore just off the A34 in Abingdon a new system has been introduced to try to prevent supermarket trolleys being nicked. This is a long standing problem as many a trolley has ended up either in the River Ock or the River Thames.

The new system means that customers put a £1 deposit into the trolley which is returned when the trolley is returned. The system appeared to be fairly new as a lot of customers were having to hunt around and ask other people if they had the £1 change.

A Tesco trolley was seen this morning near the West St Helens Street Carpark minus the £1 deposit. But then no system involving supermarket trolleys can ever be totally foolproof.

This picture was taken looking up New Street towards the Vineyard.

I was looking at the Abingdon Area Archaeological and Historical Society website yesterday, reading the transcript of a document called The ABINGDON I REMEMBER which describes Abingdon on an almost house by house basis around about 1920 and will be very interesting to lots of Abingdonians. It speaks of a short street on the left of the Vineyard called New Street, “locally known as ‘Little Hell’. This is owing to the belligerent character of the inhabitants of the 15 or so cottages which are, incredibly, packed into this tiny street.”

At the junction of The Vineyard and New Street I read of a local character called ‘Paddy’ who was “in the habit, when he had the wherewithal, of taking too much ale and roaring challenges in the direction of New Street, opposite.  The challenge was rarely refused, and some lively Saturday nights were a feature of local life.”

Can anybody put a name to the author of this description of 1920’s Abingdon?