Abingdon Craft Fair at St Helen and St Katharine

Leave a reply


This year, the Abingdon Craft Fair has moved to St Helen and St Katharine School on Faringdon Road, Abingdon, because of the refurbishment of the Abbey Buildings. The fair is open from Friday to Sunday.

It is an attractive and interesting venue, with well-lit rooms, large windows, beautiful corridors and a verandah overlooking a green. Some of the old external façades have been incorporated into the interior spaces, giving the building added character. It was also noticeably warmer than the Abbey Buildings.

There was a good crowd when we arrived on Saturday lunchtime, with plenty of craft stalls to browse.

The jug featured on the Craft Fair poster for several years was made by Jeanne Jackson of Shepherds Cottage Pottery in Horspath. That particular jug was sold years ago, but Jeanne had a similar one on her stall, along with many other attractive pieces.

There were also familiar faces from Abingdon Artists, including Clare Cross, whose work could be seen in a different setting.

I also saw the lady I had seen spinning during Heritage Open Day. She was  turning fleece into yarn using the naturally coloured wool from her own flock of 57 sheep near Wallingford.

The Berry Bakery was running a café area serving soup, sausage rolls, cakes and hot drinks – a welcome stop for visitors.

Paul, one of the organisers, said they had chosen the venue because it had character and offered much more than a bare school hall.

There were also reminders of the school’s own achievements. St Helen and St Katharine was named Independent Girls’ School of the Year in 2025, and the walls displayed some excellent artwork by its students. One display was the Year 5 Aquarium.

Prices in Stert Street: Five Years Since Closure

5 Replies


It is five years since Prices, the stationer and art materials supplier in Stert Street, announced on 25 October 2021 that it would be closing. The Prices sign is still in place above the shop, even though the business closed in December 2021.

A planning application is currently being considered for internal fire safety improvements and modifications to the stairs. Some building work also appears to have taken place inside the property.

The building is Grade II listed and is thought to date from the 17th century. It has a stucco and timber-framed front elevation with two gables.

The building’s listed status, along with its current condition and the work needed to bring it up to standard, may be complicating plans for its future. I cannot see any sign that the premises will reopen as a shop in 2026.

P.S. Like the old building, this creaky old blog is also due for some work. It will be migrated to a new host within the next 72 hours, which could mean Saturday, Monday or possibly later. The blog may be unavailable during the move. Hopefully, unlike some old buildings, it will emerge at the other end without the need for too much remedial work.

Reynolds Way Shops in 2026

6 Replies


There are two open shops at Reynolds Way and five stand empty. The survivors are Reynolds Way Supermarket and the pharmacy. A fish and chip shop opened in June 2024 but I have not seen it open for some time.
no
Back in 2022, I reported on the demolition of the wall along Reynolds Way, which featured a collection of public artworks. The wall formed the back of a row of garages owned by Sovereign Housing. When the garages were demolished, the space they occupied was left behind. It is now fenced off, with little use apart from a place for a clothing and shoe bank.

It does give the impression of a forgotten corner of Abingdon in need of some investment.

Rain and More Rain and a Security Scare

4 Replies


Monday’s sunshine had given way to rain by Tuesday. It rained through much of the night and the day.

On West St Helen Street, puddles gathered in the familiar places. They have been absent for the dry summer.

On Wednesday, the rain continued but not so heavily. Leaves like golden coins were scattered across the pavements in Station Approach. Autumn has a way of decorating the town.

Fallen leaves start to gather on the Market Place.

The heating has turned itself on – a sign that temperatures have dropped.

There was a different sort of chill today when a warning appeared telling me that this blog would stop working in six hours unless I installed a new security certificate. I tried but a computer somewhere did not like it. For a while, it looked as though the blog might stop working but then I got beyond the AI bot to a real person called Emily on the help desk who had some updated instructions, and the blog lives on for another night and day.