Author Archives: Backstreeter

Queen Victoria

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Queen Victoria
In 1887, the British Empire celebrated Victoria’s Golden Jubilee on 20th June 1887, and a statue of Queen Victoria was presented by Edwin Trendell, and unveiled in Abingdon by Lord Wantage two days earlier.

The pedestal, of Portland stone is about seven feet high; the statue of Sycilian marble, nearly eight feet high, making the monument about fifteen feet high.

On her head Queen Victoria has a small crown with a veil. In her right hand she holds a sceptre, and in the left, instead of the more usual globe, she holds a lotus blossom to signify the Imperial reign in India. She wears a heavy  velvet cloak with a lighter satin dress, and a sash as Sovereign of the Order of the Garter, a company of up to 24 Knights and lady companions.
Queen Victoria
The statue is to be found in the Abbey Gardens in Abingdon, about 50 yards from the original and more prominent position in the Market Place.

Beer Festival over St Patrick’s weekend

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Beer Festival
Noreen and Aidan took over running the Kings Head and Bell in December, and will be holding a charity beer festival over St Patrick’s weekend 16th – 19th March. They will be donating 10p for each pint of real ale or cider sold over the four days towards the Air Ambulance.
Beer Festival
This picture is from St Patrick’s Day, 2010, in the Kings Head and Bell.

High Sheriff’s Award

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Frank Award
Frank from the Lock has been given a special award by the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in recognition of exceptional services to the community.
Frank Award
I believe there were only 23 such awards given out after 500+ nominations.

Frank has also been featured in the Oxford Mail. So this post is aimed at people who have not already read that, including friends from abroad. While I was at the lock one of his ex-work colleagues came to visit. He had seen the Oxford Mail article and came to revisit his old friend for the first time in 30 years.

Young Enterprise Teams on the Market Place

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Young entrepreneurs
On the Market Place yesterday there was a Market with a difference. A dozen young enterprise teams, each with a company name and business idea were selling their product – a bit like the Apprentice on TV.
Young entrepreneurs
Pictures here are Nascent, a young enterprise team from Larkmead School. They had produced and were selling a cook book called ‘Oh Crumbs!’ with some of their staff’s favorite recipes. It included among others: Mr Crowe’s simple sausage and pasta, Miss Dering’s Lentil Dahl, and Mrs’s Box’s Fruit cake. They are seen here with the Mayor Cllr Alice Badcock, who went to Larkmead a few years ago.
Young entrepreneurs
A team from Abingdon School had developed a line of mobile phone products
Young entrepreneurs
including speakers that amplified the sound of the phone without the need for any wires. They went under the name of Acc.ESS.