Lansbrough Estate moved from West St Helen Street to Ock Street, and Natural Health moved to Coxeter House. The vacated building was reconfigured: upstairs was converted to accommodation, and a new shop front was added.
Two years later the shop front has been bricked up, and two smaller windows fitted.
Thanks to Ray for sending this picture from last Friday . Ray said “I took this around lunchtime today in the precinct. It was fascinating watching the guy doing his sculpture. He was just starting the puppy on top.“
Bradley Taylor must have an early start bringing fresh fish from Grimsby to the Monday Market in Abingdon
Traffic may have been running ok near Abingdon, but he tweeted ahead from Peartree, where there had been a collision, “Plenty of variety on board this morning, currently stuck on the A34, hopefully will arrive in Abingdon soon.”
I see in the British Online History of Berkshire that The Monday Market in Abingdon has a long history, and was run by the Abbey from at least 1328.
The 1556 charter granted the Monday market to the newly established Abingdon corporation. A table of fees for stalls in 1557 shows linen-drapers and woollen-drapers, tanners, ironmongers and smiths, ropers and ‘colle-makers’.
Nowadays market traders bring: fish from Grimsby, olives, bread and cakes, fruit and veg, clothes, carpets, and bags, batteries and watch straps, Hoover Bags …
a pop up toy shop, pottery, picture frames, dairy and meat products, eggs and pet supplies, cards and stationary, outdoor plants etc…
St Helen’s Church Market opened at 10am on Saturday.
When the door opened people were glad to get into the warmth of that glorious church building.
At Trinity Church Fayre, held in the Conduit Centre, there was the chance to play games, visit stalls, and sit round chatting over refreshments.
At the Abingdon Baptist Church Fayre you could visit Father Christmas in his grotto,
and view one of the very biggest display of jigsaws ever assembled in a church.
Fund raising is underway for the church development fund, and church members have compiled a book of their own recipes, and made a calendar of their own photographs – with originals on display at 35 Ock Street alongside.