{"id":35360,"date":"2026-04-28T23:55:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T22:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abingdonblog.co.uk\/?p=35360"},"modified":"2026-04-28T23:55:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T22:55:52","slug":"abingdon-100-years-ago-april-1926","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/?p=35360","title":{"rendered":"Abingdon 100 Years Ago \u2013 April 1926"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nAbingdon Bridge Closed<\/strong><\/p>\n

The two bridges at Abingdon over the River Thames have deteriorated to such an extent that the local authority has been compelled to close them to all traffic. The immediate cause of concern is the condition of the navigation arch, which has been reported to the county councils of Berkshire and Oxfordshire as unsafe for both heavy and light vehicles.<\/p>\n

Initial consideration was given to carrying out temporary repairs to strengthen the navigation arch and allow traffic to resume. However, subsequent examination revealed that there was little likelihood of success, and the proposal was therefore abandoned.<\/p>\n

In response to the closure, the County Authority has drawn up plans for a temporary one-way bridge. However, it is not expected that this will be brought into full use before the middle of June.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the local Chamber of Commerce has been pressing for more immediate action, including the construction of a pontoon bridge to restore connectivity across the river. Local traders report significant hardship as a result of the bridge closures. To mitigate the impact, they have urged that toll gates at Sutton Courtenay and Clifton Hampden be made free, easing the burden on diverted traffic.<\/p>\n

Complicating matters further is the unresolved question of responsibility for the maintenance and repair of Abingdon Bridge. This issue is currently the subject of legal proceedings. The action has been brought against the Master and Governors of Christ\u2019s Hospital, Abingdon.<\/p>\n

Eastertide in Abingdon \u2013 A Quiet Holiday<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good Friday brought unusually warm temperatures for the time of year, encouraging many to make the most of the fine weather. Appleton and Tubney Woods attracted parties of primrose gatherers, while others enjoyed their first outings on the river. The three-hour devotion at St Helen\u2019s, conducted by the Vicar, the Rev. C. S. Fleet, was well attended. Free Church services were held at the Primitive Methodist Chapel, led by Mr C. J. Lipscombe (Baptist). The traditional eating of hot cross buns was widely observed, and many children enjoyed taking their tea outdoors.<\/p>\n

Easter morning was cooler, with rain setting in from midday until nightfall, though all the churches held special services.<\/p>\n

Easter Monday returned to warmer conditions. Many football enthusiasts travelled to Reading to see the home side play Bristol Rovers in a return match. The Abbey House grounds were opened to the public in the afternoon, where the Wimbledon Band of the Salvation Army gave a well-received performance. The Abingdon Bowling Club marked the start of its season with a match between Saturday and Thursday players. In the evening, a dance organised by the Men\u2019s Constitutional Association was held at the Corn Exchange.<\/p>\n

Girls\u2019 Club Singing<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lecture on choral singing was given at the Roysse Room to the Girls\u2019 Club by Miss Nettleship, who is well known in Women\u2019s Institute and musical circles. She illustrated her talk with a selection of folk songs, and her enthusiasm was quickly taken up by the girls.<\/p>\n

They sang heartily, in unison, such favourites as Annie Laurie, The Poacher, and Strawberry Fair, along with many others. Miss Nettleship also taught the group a couple of rounds and a sea shanty, adding variety and enjoyment to the session.<\/p>\n


\nCongregational Church Annual Meeting<\/strong><\/p>\n

The annual meeting of the Congregational Church was held in the schoolroom. The Sunday School secretary reported that there were 90 children on the books, with a regular attendance of around 75. There were ten teachers, though more were still needed.<\/p>\n

The Ladies\u2019 Working Group continued to meet weekly and was said to be carrying out useful and important work. The Girls\u2019 Life Brigade had 12 members, while the Boys\u2019 Life Brigade numbered 11.<\/p>\n

Reports were also received from the choir and the piano sub-committee, which had been organising a monthly recital. Appreciation was expressed to the Rev. W. J. Chappell, who had just completed his first year at the church.<\/p>\n

Overall, attendance was reported to have remained more or less steady.<\/p>\n

St George\u2019s Day Rally<\/strong><\/p>\n

The annual rally of Scouts in celebration of St George\u2019s Day was held in the Abbey House grounds on Sunday by the Scouts, Rovers, and Wolf Cubs of the North Berks (Abingdon) Local Association. There are eight troops and eight packs in the association, and up to 30 September of last year the number of Scouts in the area was 239.<\/p>\n

St George is the patron saint of the Baden-Powell Boy Scouts.<\/p>\n

A large number of Girl Guides, Brownies, and Rangers were also present. The aim of the movement is, in a word, to develop character and to encourage happy, healthy, and useful citizens. Service is particularly the aim of the Rover and Ranger branches.<\/p>\n

Application Under the New Marriage Law<\/strong><\/p>\n

At Banbury last Thursday, John Gerald Phillips, a minor residing at Adderbury, applied to the Oxfordshire justices for permission to marry Nelly Purbrick of Abingdon under the new marriage law, which allows the court to grant consent where it has been refused.<\/p>\n

The application was opposed by his parents, Mr and Mrs Gerald Phillips of Frilford, who argued that the marriage would not bring their only son happiness, citing differences in social position. They said that the young woman had previously been in their service as a parlour maid.<\/p>\n

Phillips told the bench that he was in love with the girl and honestly desired to marry her, and the application was granted by a majority.<\/p>\n

A Fish Fracas in Ock Street<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the Borough Bench, before the Mayor, Mr J. D. Godfrey, Edward Lee was summoned for using bad language outside a fish shop in Ock Street.<\/p>\n

Fishmonger Aubrey Belcher said Lee returned some fish around 10.20 p.m., complaining it was \u201cbadly crushed.\u201d Although he was given his money back, he then began using \u201cobscene language\u201d and interfering with customers, in the hearing of \u201cnine or ten men and women.\u201d<\/p>\n

A witness, John Joseph Gent, said he told Lee to \u201cclear off before he got into trouble,\u201d but was met with further abuse. He added that he took Lee by the arm and led him away, again telling him to \u201cclear off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lee, a labourer, admitted he \u201csaid a few words he ought not to,\u201d but denied the extent of the language reported. He told the court he had challenged the shopkeeper, asking, \u201cWhy do you not serve lads the same as you serve grown-up people?\u201d and, when threatened with the police, replied he \u201cdid not trouble if he got twenty policemen as long as I had my rights.\u201d He also claimed the encounter ended amicably: \u201cwe shook hands\u2026 and I went home and never thought any more about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bench disagreed, fining him 12s. 6d., including costs, remarking that bad language was \u201call too prevalent in Abingdon\u201d and that men of his age should \u201cset a better example.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abingdon Wesleyans\u2019 Sale of Work<\/strong><\/p>\n

A successful sale of work in aid of church funds was held in the schoolroom of Trinity Wesleyan Church on Thursday afternoon. A wide variety of articles was displayed across a number of stalls, including those run by the Sewing Meeting, the china stall, a miscellaneous stall, an art stall, and a young people\u2019s stall. Refreshments were also available.<\/p>\n

The event was opened by the Mayor of Abingdon, Mr J. D. Godfrey, who remarked that the goods on sale represented many hours of careful labour, and expressed the hope that the proceeds would provide a fitting return for the church\u2019s funds.<\/p>\n


\nPavlova Win Reading Cup<\/strong><\/p>\n

The final of the Reading Town Cup was played at the Abingdon Town Sports Club ground on Saturday afternoon between Caversham Rovers and Abingdon Pavlova.<\/p>\n

After a closely contested match, Abingdon Pavlova secured a 2\u20131 victory, with goals from Winter and Woodley. This marks the third consecutive year that Pavlova have won the cup.<\/p>\n

Darts and Shove-Halfpenny Matches<\/strong><\/p>\n

Twelve-a-side matches were held on Monday evening in the Assembly Room, Station Yard, between teams from the Railway Inn and the Air Balloon, Queen Street, Oxford.<\/p>\n

Both the darts and shove-halfpenny contests resulted in comfortable victories for the Oxford side. Following the games, the evening concluded with an impromptu concert.<\/p>\n

Acknowledgements<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to the North Berks Herald microfilm in Abingdon Library for stories, and to the Oxford Journal in Oxford Library for the pictures. Thanks are also due to the British Newspaper Archive for access to the Faringdon Advertiser and Vale of the White Horse Gazette. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Abingdon Bridge Closed The two bridges at Abingdon over the River Thames have deteriorated to such an extent that the local authority has been compelled to close them to all traffic. The immediate cause of concern is the condition of the navigation arch, which has been reported to the county councils of Berkshire and Oxfordshire […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heritage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35360\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}