Five Abingdon People

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A single bell tolled every few seconds across Abingdon Market Place today from St Nicolas Church. The church was full, and the churchwarden found extra chairs from somewhere.

There seem to have been a lot of funerals recently. Yesterday was a day of two funerals.

In the morning, Trinity Church held the funeral of John, one of our congregation. He was a steward who was always wanting to help and described as ‘a lovely man’.

Later in the day, Christ Church held the funeral of former Mayor and former Chair of the Vale of White Horse District Council, Councillor Margaret Crick. Alongside her family and friends were the Mayor, the town mace, and many current and former councillors who had served with her over the years. One told me how important she was during Covid in her role as Chair of the Vale, when she had a direct line to the minister.

There were also two funerals at All Saints Church just over a week ago, both for members of their congregation. Both were well attended. One was for Michael who had been a church minister in Africa and who finally settled in Abingdon to be near family. The other was for Derek, the former Chief Executive of UKAEA. His grandson said, “The world would be a much better place if everyone were more like Grandpa,” and someone else said, “Curiosity was his superpower.” People filled the church, church hall, balcony and foyer for Derek’s funeral.

Abingdon is small enough to have many overlapping circles of people. Someone you recognise from one part of the town turns up at the funeral of someone you never realised they knew. It is interesting to discover the connections between these seemingly distinct people.

The thanksgiving service at St Nicolas today was for Evelyn, a member of Abingdon Artists. Some of her paintings were displayed at the front. She was one of the familiar faces who often helped at events at St Nicolas. You may have known her too, even if you don’t know the name.

Abbey Buildings Restoration: Site Secured

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A couple of weeks ago Gaby sent me this photo with the message: ‘Abbey Buildings slype now closed.’

A slype is a narrow, covered passage, particularly one found in a cathedral or medieval monastery. This one links Checker Walk and Thames Street.

Hoardings now surround parts of the Abbey Buildings as restoration work gets underway.

On 22 July, contractor Savvy Group announced the start of conservation and sustainability work on the Grade I listed Abbey Buildings, saying: ‘Opportunities to work on a site of such historical significance are rare, and it is a genuine privilege to play a role in preserving an important part of England’s heritage.’

Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will conserve the historic buildings, improve accessibility and help secure their future as a community asset.

The Abbey Buildings Trust has appointed a Visual Arts Lead to work with local communities, schools and volunteers to create artwork inspired by the Abbey Buildings, including a large public artwork to be displayed on the site hoardings during the restoration.

Just 0.2 mm of Rain in July 2026

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According to Flood Radar, just 0.2 mm of rain fell at a monitoring station near the sewage works in south Abingdon during July 2026. The July average is around 37 mm. By contrast, June rainfall at this monitoring station was above average.

In southern England, July has been reported as the driest on record. To help conserve water supplies, there is a temporary hosepipe ban, but there are a number of exemptions.

You may still see sprinklers operating on cricket pitches or other sports grounds. Watering is permitted where it is necessary to maintain a safe playing surface, but not the entire ground.

Other exemptions include:

* Food crops where watering with a hosepipe is essential.
* Commercial horticulture and plants grown for sale.
* Animal welfare, including ponds containing fish.
* People with certain disabilities or medical conditions who qualify for exemptions.

* Newly planted street trees (planted within the last three years where hand watering is not practical).

Some newly planted street trees have been provided with watering bags and labels asking people to become Tree Guardians by helping to keep them watered. This tree appears to have been badly affected by the prolonged dry weather. If its roots are still alive, regular watering over the coming weeks could still give it a chance of recovery.

Revised Walking and Cycling Plans for Abingdon Town Centre

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Oxfordshire County Council has published revised proposals to improve walking and cycling through Abingdon town centre after taking account of feedback from last year’s public consultation.

The scheme, funded through the UK Government’s Active Travel Fund, originally had a budget of £1.47 million. It has since received a further £269,000, allowing the council to make several changes in response to concerns raised by residents and businesses.

The original plans included a contraflow cycle lane along East St Helen Street, new pedestrian and cycle crossings, and changes to the busy junction linking High Street, Bridge Street and Stert Street.

Following consultation, several aspects of the scheme have been revised. The illustrations below are my own mock-ups based on photographs taken today to help show the changes. They are not the council’s official drawings, so if you want to see the precise layout you should look at the plans on the council’s consultation webpage.

The main changes are:

* No net loss of residents’ parking spaces. Parking spaces that need removing will instead be relocated. New residents’ parking will be created on Lombard Street and St Helen’s Court, while some shared visitor/residents’ spaces on East St Helen Street will become residents-only. To accommodate these changes, Lombard Street would become one-way eastbound for motor vehicles while remaining open to westbound cyclists.

* More loading space for businesses has been included.

* The proposed planting along East St Helen Street has been removed, allowing wider passing places along East St Helen Street.

* A new pedestrian crossing is proposed between Parasol Restaurant and The Punch Bowl.

* Another pedestrian crossing would be provided outside St Helen’s Church.


* A protected southbound cycle lane is added on West St Helen Street, linking St Helen’s Court with East St Helen Street. This would require the removal of four parking spaces.

How to comment:

The council is currently asking for feedback only on these revised changes, with comments open until 1 September 2026. See: : https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/east-st-helen-street-active-travel-update

Later this autumn or winter, the council expects to hold a formal consultation on the complete revised scheme, giving everyone another opportunity to comment before any final decisions are made.