Author Archives: Backstreeter

Coffee and counting at Abingdon Market Place with John Betjeman

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Abingdon Market Place this Morning
Today I had my first coffee and croissant on Abingdon Market Place since the start of the lockdown. When I sat down, the outside seats at R&R, Costa, and Throwing Buns were in sun; and the seats at Java were in shade.
Abingdon Market Place this Morning
I noticed the usual queue outside the National Westminster Bank – a very popular bank. Pablos Lounge have reopened this week.
Abingdon Market Place this Morning
I started a survey of face masks to see what was the most popular colour: 3 blue, 1 pink, 1 black and counting … then noticed a man with a Black Sabbath T Shirt taking a selfie in front Abingdon County Hall Museum.
Abingdon Market Place this Morning
The doors of the museum appeared to be open but, looking later, I discovered that was only the outer doors. In the interim, the museum are publishing some lovely pictures of exhibits on Abingdon Museum on Instagram.

I flicked through a book, purchased at the British Heart Foundation, and edited by John Betjeman and John Piper, called ‘Murray’s Berkshire Architectural Guide‘

At one point it says, ‘Despite the fact that the huge industrial city of Oxford is only six miles away, Abingdon remains resolutely Berkshire. Not even the presence of the MG motor works and a large, noisy aerodrome kills the essentially market and country quality of this meadow-set, river-bordered, old brick town.’

River Ock Walk – this evening

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River Ock Walk
This evening I went for a walk along the Ock Valley Walk. Most people were either out with their dogs, or running or cycling.
River Ock Walk
Somebody had discarded today’s Oxford Mail. The front page was about the fallout, on Cancer research jobs in Oxford, from the virus.
River Ock Walk
A mother duck, with four ducklings, got very agitated and noisy towards a ginger cat – who was attempting to follow them from the bank near the Meadowside houses.
River Ock Walk
The walk is between two rivers. Trees arch high over you on the end furthest from town. At the town end there are younger trees and the path divides in two. A trail, with wood chip laid by the Green Gym, follows the top river. The main path follows the lower river.

Abingdon Cinema and Theatre – not reopened yet

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Cinema and Theatre
During the lockdown, the Abbey Cinema have been encouraging people to become members and get special deals as well as ensuring a steady cash flow and the survival of the cinema. Their first event will be the Formula 1 race from Silverstone, and is a members only event.
Cinema and Theatre
The Unicorn Theater has no What’s On yet. They have a holding webpage saying ‘New Site Coming Soon’.
Cinema and Theatre
The Studio Theatre Club announced they have started a read through of Love’s Labour’s Lost, to be performed at the Unicorn Theatre in November, if all’s well that ends well.

The Amey Theatre booking office still only has cancelled events at the moment.

Some leisure and fitness centres have reopened this week in Abingdon. I can see people back on the gym machines at Results and the White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre have: gym, swimming (not splash pool), fitness classes, indoor and outdoor tennis only. The open air pool will not open this season.

Regarding churches, I hear that St Edmunds and Our Lady have a booking system for Masses and up to 30 people can attend. I have not heard about any other church meeting physically yet. The congregation size will be limited to 30 in most churches, and so streaming or service sheets will continue for those who cannot attend.

A walk round the EX land

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Ex
Landfilling at the Sutton Wick site was completed in 2005. Commercial waste lorries used to drive round and up the incline, full of rubbish, and come back empty. Signs round the site have the letters EX – explosive atmosphere.
Ex
The area was approximately 120,000 m2 and the methane and carbon dioxide flow, produced by bacteria decomposing the waste, was initially expected to be 300 m3 per hour.

Planning permission was granted in 2005 for an electricity generating plant. The only worry at the time was whether it would be noisy. There is a sighing sound every few minutes like letting off steam.

Trees were planted as part of the landscaping, and the land was left to wildlife. I saw a lot of ragwort and teasel when visiting this evening, and rabbits chasing each other
Ex
The footpath round the site starts at Peep-o-Day Lane and goes to Drayton. Most of the land is out of bounds, behind barbed-wire topped fences.
Ex
There is also a lake with some wildfowl but without public access.
Ex
Electricity transmission lines from Didcot Power Station pass overhead. The skyline no longer has the large cooling towers of Didcot ‘A’ Power Station. They have been demolished since the last time I wrote about this nature reserve.