Author Archives: Backstreeter

Abingdon in Washington

1 Reply

Thanks to Tony for this report …
Abingdon in Washington
Happy memories of Abingdon were exchanged at the British Embassy in Washington DC last month. It happened at a dinner with Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch for volunteers of the American and Canadian Red Cross. The volunteers, all professional and academic health experts who freely advise the Red Cross, meet twice a year to contribute their expertise to the scientific evidence base for Red Cross programmes and products. To support the collaborative relationship, Emily Oliver of the British Red Cross team, arranged for the delegates to dine at the British Embassy.

Emily, who grew up in Abingdon and attended the School of St Helen and St Katharine, persuaded the Ambassador to host the dinner, and also discovered, to her astonishment, that the Ambassador was educated at Abingdon School.

Sir Kim Darroch was delighted when Emily presented him with an Abingdon School Old Boys tie, and immediately put it on for the dinner and to pose for photographs. Emily commented afterwards: ‘Abingdon School can be proud of the Ambassador who spoke fondly of his time there and also demonstrated strong regard for the humanitarian purposes of the Red Cross Movement.’

Dragons Teeth by the River Ock

15 Replies

Dragons Teeth
Back in 1940, after the fall of France, the UK was at risk of a German invasion. The River Ock seems to have been consolidated as a defense line to stop the ‘Blitzkrieg’. There is a pillbox one side of the river, over by the old path of the canal.
Dragons Teeth
On the other side are a set of concrete dragons teeth – positioned to stop Hitler’s tanks if they try to dodge the River and the other water-filled channels. At this time of year, the vegetation has died back showing the green dragons teeth.
Dragons Teeth
Behind the dragons teeth there is an area where willows lay. They too are covered in green at this time of year.

Beech Court

47 Replies

The Roysse Room was the site of Abingdon School (then ‘Roysse’s School’) from 1563. Since moving to a much larger site, in Victorian times, near the Albert Park, the school continues to be developed. A new sports complex opened in 2008. A new Science block was added in 2015.
Beech Court
Hoardings have been showing pictures of the new Sixth Form, Library and Art Department that will be opening in 2018.
Beech Court
During development the emerging building has been encased in scaffolding – decorated by yellow and red safety walkways.
Beech Court
The scaffolding has now started to come down to reveal the new building – visible from Bath Street and the walled walkway between Bath Street and the Albert Park .

The new building will not only increase the space for the library and sixth form, it will free up space elsewhere for other departments, and students.

White Horse Pub and The Abingdon Arms

9 Replies

The White Horse
I noticed today that the sign at the White Horse Pub in Ock Street has changed from the head of a white horse to The White Horse – the ancient monument near the Ridgeway, after which the Vale of the White Horse is named.
The White Horse
The pub has been there since at least 1830, when mentioned in the Pigots Directory. It looks a typical Ock Street building and is one of only two pubs now along Ock Street. The Morris Dancers used to have far more to dance at.

I don’t know what sort of horse the original landlord of the White Horse intended. Wikipedia says ‘ White Horse: the sign of the House of Hanover, adopted by many eighteenth-century inns to demonstrate loyalty to the new Royal dynasty.’

But in these changed times the new pub sign looks very nice to me.
The White Horse
Last week I was at Wantage and passed the prominent sign of  the recently refurbished Abingdon Arms. The latest comment on facebook says ‘Brilliant honest to goodness PUB! Does exactly what it says on the tin. Wish there were more places like this and not the Slug and Cucumber brigade!’