Abingdon Run-Away Fair

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The second, or Run-Away Michaelmas Fair was held on Abingdon Market Place this afternoon. It was a much smaller event than the main Michaelmas Fair last week. It comprised three roundabouts, an inflatable slide and two wagons serving fair food. The rides were all aimed at young children.

In days when hiring farm and domestic servants was more common, the Run-Away Fair followed the main Michaelmas Fair and gave servants the chance to seek a new position if the first did not work out. It was also an occasion for people from the surrounding countryside to come to Abingdon to make their Michaelmas purchases.

Michaelmas traditionally marked the change from summer to winter, when people put away their lighter clothes and brought out their warmer ones. The Run-Away fair gave them a chance to buy new clothing and other necessities in preparation for the colder months. (That is according to the Reading Mercury of Saturday, 20 October 1894)

Abingdon’s British Heart Foundation Announces Closing Date

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The British Heart Foundation shop in Bury Street, Abingdon, is holding a closing sale ahead of its final day on Saturday 21 November 2026, according to a poster in the window. The shop has been there for at least 23 years, according to a 2003 town centre map.

It is one of around 150 BHF shops and stores scheduled to close as part of a national restructuring programme. The closures are intended to make the charity’s retail operation financially sustainable. The money raised through its shops helps fund cardiovascular research.

The poster identifies the nearest remaining shop as the one in The Broadway, Didcot.

Abingdon Library – 50th Birthday

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The library mice have their own way of celebrating birthdays. For the 30th, they celebrated with crumbs from the children’s party and a chunk of cocktail cheese.

For the 50th, the few cupcakes had been eaten and every crumb swept away and there was no after work party because of cutbacks.

But one of the mice noticed a child’s drawing of a mouse balancing books and wishing the library a Happy 50th Birthday.

‘That’s how we should celebrate,’ it said.

‘Let’s find ALL the books with fifty in the title,’ suggested another mouse.

They headed for the large James Patterson section.

‘I’m sure I saw one here once,’ said the mouse. ‘It was called Fifty-Fifty.’

Another, very squeaky mouse asked, ‘What about E. L. James?’

Nobody was listening. She ran off.

Meanwhile, a mouse with a more authoritative voice called the others over to the returns trolley. A cheese-coloured cover had caught her eye. The book was called The Periodic Table: A Field Guide to the Elements.

If you’d seen how quickly they pushed it onto the floor, you might have thought it really was a field guide to cheese. The chemistry book fell open at a page that said:

‘Sodium – Atomic Number 11. Special Trick: Reacts violently with water.’

‘I don’t like that.’

They turned the page.

‘Magnesium – Atomic Number 12. Special Trick: Burns with a brilliant white flame.’

‘Oh dear! Oh dear!’

Their little hearts beating faster, they turned the pages until they found what they had been looking for.

‘Tin – Atomic Number 50. Special Trick: Good for holding food.’

‘Perfect!’ they said as one.

They left the book where it lay and ran past the very squeaky mouse, who was still staring at the spine of GREY – the only E. L. James title on the shelves.

The mice disappeared through the secret tunnel to Poundland. Being library mice, they knew how to open tins and hide the evidence. The spaghetti in cheese sauce went down well, but the tinned sponge pudding was even better.

They agreed it made a thoroughly satisfying ending.

Wildlife and Climate Change on Display at Abingdon Museum

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There are a couple of new exhibitions at Abingdon County Hall Museum. Upstairs, in the attic, is a travelling exhibition about Warneford Hospital and the history of Mental Health treatment. In the Sessions Hall is an exhibition called ‘Wild Life – Abingdon in a Changing Climate’ which runs from 3 October to 23 December 2026.

The wildlife exhibition features large photographs taken by local photographers, most showing wildlife in the area. A few have a more obvious connection with climate change, including pictures of algae blooms and cracked earth.

One of the most remarkable items is a folder containing cuttings from John Killick’s contributions to the Oxford Times. He used to photograph and describe different plants found in Oxfordshire, and the collection runs to over 800 examples.

There are also films to watch. One, made by the Green Gym, shows wildlife recorded during their conservation exercises. Another, by Anonymous, called ‘By the River’ follows wildlife through the seasons in Abingdon. A speaker at the other end of the exhibition plays bird song recorded in Abingdon.

The exhibition includes paintings and other mixed-media portrayals of nature by Abingdon artists, including some younger ones. There is also information about the work of local wildlife groups, including how they monitor areas for wildlife, such as the River Ock. The exhibition has been created in collaboration with local groups including One Planet Abingdon, Abingdon Carbon Cutters, the Abingdon Naturalists Society, Abingdon Camera Club and the Green Gym.

The Museum is run by Abingdon Town Council.