Salinas 3

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Salinas
People who have lived in Abingdon more than a couple of years may well remember Salinas, a Lebanese Restaurant that used to be next to Skinny Hippo.

Mr Salinas, whatever his real name, also runs a more informal restaurant in Didcot, on Broad Street, called Salinas 2.

It looks like he he is coming back again to Abingdon, with a more informal looking Cafe / Bar where the Abingdon Flower Shop once was on Bath Street.

Most of the decorating has already been done. The front is painted Salinas-brown. It will be opening soon.

Cafe Chairs at Skinny Hippo

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Cafe Chairs
March Theme Day for City Daily Photo is Cafe Chairs.

Until last summer Skinny Hippo, on The Square in Abingdon, had a craft gifts area and a creative area. Nowadays Skinny Hippo has a cafe area. with some very pretty tables and chairs, as well as a creative craft area. There are still a few gifts on walls and shelves.

The Ock Valley Flood Group goes from strength to strength

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This evening at Preston Road Community Centre the Ock Valley Flood Group had their annual open meeting, and there was a good turnout.
Ock Valley Flood Group
Nichola Blackwood, MP, spoke about getting a good deal from insurers for houses at risk of flooding. Ian Hudspeth, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, spoke about better joined up thinking in response to floods. Malcolm Moore presented a scheme about tree planting in the areas above Abingdon to stop water coming down all at once. More of that soon.
Ock Valley Flood Group
A man from the Environment Agency said that in the case of Abingdon a number of measures working together will reduce the risk of flooding, such as: his own men’s work, and the work of the Ock Valley Flood group (seen above) helping clear our rivers and ditches; such as better agricultural methods upstream – how fields are ploughed; and better tree planting.

Ock Valley Flood group volunteers will be back out in action in 2 weeks time. They clear rivers and ditches during the 2nd Saturday of each month.

Abingdon 450 Exhibition

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Abingdon 450 Exhibition
Michael St John Parker, Headmaster 1975 – 2001, gave a very interesting talk this evening about the exhibition at Abingdon Museum – Abingdon to Zanzibar – an A to Z of Abingdon School over 450 years. The talk was in the Roysse Room – the one time school room.

In the talk there was high praise for some ex headmasters such as Thomas Woods 1716-1753 during whose time a lot of the nobility sent their sons to Abingdon, when it became a top school in the country. There was less praise for another headmaster who started off with a good complement of pupils but ended up with just three, then did a similar act of decimation at his next school.

One ex pupil, Colonel Bringfield, became a national hero when he stopped a canon ball with his head – was decapitated, but saved Lord Marlborough whose horse he was holding on the battlefield. As a result Colonel Bringfield has a monument in Westminster Abbey. Another Old Abingdonian, called Ridley, helped stop the Slave Trade in Zanzibar.

The talk also gave a new angle on local historical figures like John Roysse and the Tesdales. I expect it will be printed in time so well worth reading.