Category Archives: Market Place

Fresh Fish from Grimsby to Abingdon Monday Market via the A34

Medieval Monday Market
Bradley Taylor must have an early start bringing fresh fish from Grimsby to the Monday Market in Abingdon
Medieval Monday Market
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.”
Medieval Monday Market
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 …
Medieval Monday Market
a pop up toy shop, pottery, picture frames, dairy and meat products, eggs and pet supplies, cards and stationary, outdoor plants etc…

Local Excellence Market and Halloween

Local Excellence Market
This morning on Abingdon Market Place there was a Local Excellence Market.
Local Excellence Market
This is a quarterly market where local food producers, craftworkers and retailers sell their goods in Abingdon Market Place. There were more craft stalls than ever before, and it looked one of the biggest local excellence markets I have seen.
Local Excellence Market
There was a Halloween Theme going on in shops and shop windows. At Sue Ryder, the staff and volunteers had dressed up in style.
Local Excellence Market
Mostly books was ghostly books for a day.
Local Excellence Market
Abingdon Library had bats, pumpkins, and monster books on display.

Art Exhibition and Craft Market

Art and Crafts
At the 06 Gallery, in John Mason School, there was a lot of art work on display from students studying: Art, Graphic Design, Textile Design, and 3D Design.
Art and Crafts
The work was of  a high standard, with colour, variety, movement, and innovation, and we enjoyed an interesting hour looking round.
Art and Crafts
Meanwhile on the Market Place, at the twice-yearly Craft Fair, one stall was taken by Fitzharrys School, who will be putting on an art exhibition at the Community Shop in early July.
Art and Crafts
In addition to the Craft Stalls there was a mini-exhibition of patchwork quilting to encourage people to “have a go” themselves. Ardington School of Crafts were there for anybody wanting formal tuition in crafts from Ceramics to Willow Weaving.
Art and Crafts
Despite the rain, there was plenty to warm the heart, including music from Abingdon Concert Band, and hot chilli sauces from the Abingon Based Steam Power Sauce Co. They will be back for the Oxfordshire Chilli Festival, in Abingdon, on August 15th.

Saturday’s Local Excellence Market

Local Excellence Market
Abingdon Country Market are now a regular at the quarterly Local Excellence Market.
Local Excellence Market
I was told by Paul, collecting rent from stall holders, that there were more stalls than ever before. The plant stall was doing particularly well.
Local Excellence Market
I expect some of the stalls, like Chillis 2 U, will be back in Abingdon next weekend at Miele’s, on 7th June, for the 2nd Abingdon Food Festival.  (You can pre-book Chef demonstrations, and Wine and Cheese tastings on their website.)
Local Excellence Market
Market Place events do seem to increase the footfall, and buggy fall, in Abingdon town centre.
Local Excellence Market
I did hear that there has been some systematic destruction of advertising signs on lampposts over the last 2 or 3 months in Abingdon. Signs worth around £800 have been ripped down. (Evidence of ‘sign vandalism’ should be sent to the proper authorities. We know it is not any of the councils.)