New Parking Restrictions Take Effect around Abingdon Town Centre

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Over the past week, new signs have been appearing across the Town Centre and Centre East as the latest parking restrictions come into force. These changes were consulted on last year, approved in January, and officially took effect on 1 April.

The most noticeable change is the replacement of older signage with new signs, including those carrying the “AB” designation for Abingdon Town Centre. (The patch on a lot of signs is to hide ‘Mon – Sat 8 am to 6pm’ which does not apply to residents’ spaces.)

New restrictions have also been introduced. These include a new 30-minute waiting limit below the Co-op in West St Helen Street. A new pay-and-display machine is on St Helen’s Wharf.

In Centre East, there are double yellow lines in places where none were before.

This has created some interesting patterns along roads such as Penlon Place.

The Monk of Abingdon to Return

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A plinth has recently appeared on the Marcham Road roundabout. A new statue is expected to be put up soon on this plinth to replace the monk removed last year. That one had been carved from a single tree trunk but had rotted from within. It has since become a bug hotel in Boxhill Wood. The new one has also been carved from a single tree trunk.

A short-lived discussion on NeighbourNet suggested that the new statue is being funded and arranged by the Ock Lodge of Freemasons. It mentioned some historical links between monastic traditions and freemasonry.

The discussion went on to suggest that the roundabout site may have had earlier significance. Someone claimed that monks from Abingdon Abbey buried something important there, and that this has been known in certain circles for some time.

Another point concerned the alignment of the statue. Unlike the previous monk, which faced the A34, the new one is said to be set on a precise bearing towards the Millennium Needle, a sculpture put up in 2006 near the Abbey site, also apparently linked to Freemasons.

Finally, and most intriguing, the number of steering wheel turns needed to drive from the Millennium Needle to the centre of the roundabout is thirty-three, which is the highest degree in freemasonry.

The original discussion has been removed from NeighbourNet, today, 1 April 2026, so this is based on what I remember. There were other, more outrageous claims, I have not included. Readers may draw their own conclusions.

Abbey Millstream Through the Year: March 2026

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To set the scene, here is the Millstream viewed from the concrete bridge built by the old Abingdon firm Cowley Concrete. This was early this morning, with the ducks all resting on the bank and the reflections perfectly clear on the still water.

A mute swan, one of two, gliding past with its reflection distorted by the water.

A pair of ducks going about together. Hopefully there will be ducklings to report before too long.

A moorhen moving through rippling water, the surface reflecting the brick fronts of the Thamesview houses.

One of the many robins that sing along this stretch of the stream.

A blackbird, fresh from a squabble with a rival, pausing on a low perch overlooking the Abbey Meadows.

Finally, a muntjac deer. I saw another two among the wilder bushes today, and also startled an egret, though neither stayed long enough for a photograph. This one lingered on the bank near the CEF industrial unit.

M&S Food Store: Signs Appear at Fairacres

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Signs have started to go up for the new Marks & Spencer Food Store at Fairacres Retail Park in Abingdon, marking another visible step towards its opening.

Recruitment is also underway. It’s possible that other vacancies have already closed. At the time of writing, the Marks & Spencer careers website lists three full-time roles in Abingdon: one Customer Assistant position in the Chicken Hot Hold (closing 8th April 2026), and two Customer Assistant roles in the in-store bakery (closing 31st March 2026).