Author Archives: Backstreeter

2/3rds resurfacing of double mini roundabout

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Resurfacing
Overnight work to resurface the double mini roundabout, at the junction of Drayton Road and Marcham Road, is two thirds done. The roundabouts themselves have been resurfaced and painted and the bottom of Spring Road has been resurfaced. The final night for work is tonight. This is the view after it was reopened this morning.
Resurfacing
Lots of people on East and West St Helen Street, in the town centre, forgot that Monday had been a Bank Holiday and that the recycling collection was put back a day. Throughout Friday the pavements were stacked with bins and bags.

Coxeter House – front and back view and a little history

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Coxeters was founded in 1836 by Charles Coxeter who was an ironmonger, also selling furniture, bicycles and other household items. Coxeters
The 1970 Abingdon Whos’ Who and Directory has an advert for Coxeters – Abingdon’s Departmental Store. The blue building was new then. They wanted local people to ‘TRY ABINGDON FIRST’.
Coxeters
Here is the same view today with the Results gym upstairs, and the kitchen showroom and workwear outlet downstairs.

The sign now says Coxeter House and has done since 1984. Coxeters let this large blue building, and the other buildings around the car park at Tannery Court, to a variety of businesses.
Coxeters
The businesses at Coxeter House change and the sign writers are kept busy moving signs at the back.

I love the Thames at Abingdon

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The Thames at Abingdon
On 6th March 2008, The Abingdon Herald reported that the Abingdon Share a Poem group had produced a book for the Abingdon Arts Festival. The poetry group were 10 year old and still going strong. In September 2020 they are still going – if a little older.
The Thames at Abingdon
At the September 2020 meeting of the group, on Zoom yesterday, Justin Gosling read one of his poems …

The Thames at Abingdon

I love the Thames at Abingdon –
The wintry roar below the weir;
The angry mud race swirling past
St Helen’s round to Culham Reach;
And then the surge to burst its banks
And seize the Isle of Andersey
And all the fields to Culham Bridge –
Triumphant arching salmon leap
From river to resplendent lake.

I love the lazy summer Thames,
Placid now between its banks,
With empty cartons, coots and cans
And boats and bottles bobbing by,
And regal swans
In stately eddies drifting down
Between the meadows and the town.

I love the cool autumnal Thames,
Still beneath the thin white mist;
And far, yet near, the cooling towers,
Each with its plume of shining cloud;
The guardsman poplars, tall and bare,
Turned copper by the sinking sun.
Stormy, empty, busy, calm  –
I love the Thames at Abingdon.

© Justin Gosling

Old Abbey House – Petition to Sign to save the building for the people of Abingdon

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Old Abbey House - Petition
There has been a lot of activity at Old Abbey House with people being shown round in hi-viz jackets and with hard hats.

The Vale of White Horse District Council no longer need the buildings and have put it on the market with a guide price of around £1m to see if there are potential buyers. That does not include the garden.  They are also in discussion with the Friends of Abingdon Civic Society to see if there are any suitable community uses.
Old Abbey House - Petition
Old Abbey House can be approached by foot from the Market Place via the Abbey Gateway and is at the heart of Abingdon.
Old Abbey House - Petition
It is a very welcoming building and once some of the 1970s office panelling is removed will look far more attractive inside.
Old Abbey House - Petition
It has many attractive features.
Old Abbey House - Petition
The building is made of two halves and I was told that the lower half is the older part. Explorations by the Friends of Abingdon will discover more.

The friends think it could potentially have lots of rooms for community use as well as a cafe looking out onto the Abbey Gardens. They are doing a lot of the ground work, and a feasibility study, and are looking for leaders to take on the project as trustees.

To show your support for the building being kept for the people of Abingdon you can sign the petition at https://www.change.org/p/vowhdc-save-old-abbey-house-for-the-people-of-abingdon.

The Friends of Abingdon have more information at https://abingdoncivicsociety.org.uk/old-abbey-house-update/.