Author Archives: Backstreeter

Quilting Exhibition

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Quilting Exhibition
The two Abingdon quilt making groups: The Abbey Quilters and The Fitzharrys Quilters have a joint Quilt Exhibition at the Manor School,
Quilting Exhibition
It is open today and tomorrow (9-10 April 2016) from 10am – 4pm. When I went there were lots of people looking round the many quilts on display, and other stalls.
Quilting Exhibition
The exhibition has been going for about 16 years, I believe. It used to be held at Radley College but has moved to the Manor School in recent years. Quilting seems very popular in these parts, and Masons in Abingdon is a popular place for quilters to go for material.
Quilting Exhibition
In the lead up to the exhibition Mostly Books dedicated most of their shop window to displaying quilts and books about quilting, and they have a stall at the exhibition.
Quilting Exhibition
There has also been a competition of Fidget quilts – small quilts (A3 or slightly bigger) that soothe and entertain people suffering from various forms of dementia. About a dozen entries were on display and the winning entry is shown above.

Evening Walk to the Margaret Brown Gardens

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Evening Walk
The river by St Helen’s Wharf looked like a painting – the River Thames was so still and the clouds had an evening glow.
Evening Walk
At the Margaret Brown Gardens some young lads ran over when I was taking this picture. They looked into the water for a scooter that another lad had allegedly thrown into the water.
Evening Walk
All that was visible in the shallow water was a bicycle somebody else must have thrown in
Evening Walk
Over the road from the Margaret Brown Gardens, the former Hygienic Laundry site has been made into flats.

Prolonging the Life of the Charter Car Park

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Charter Car Park
The Vale of White Horse District Council have budgeted quite a lot of money in the next couple of years on car park improvements. They will invest £2,000,000 in expanding car park capacity throughout the Vale in next year’s budget. And this year are spending £150,000 improving the public conveniences in the Abingdon Charter Car Park, and £800,000 to transform the appearance and extend the serviceable life of the car park itself.
Charter Car Park
The Vale invested £320,000 in 2006 on refurbishment and prolonging the usefulness of the Charter Car Park.
Charter Car Park
So it will be interesting what more will be done this year to improve this facility ten years on.

The Red Cross in Abingdon 1915-2016

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The Red Cross in Abingdon
The Red Cross have a long association with Abingdon. One hundred years ago, during World War I, Tesdale House Auxiliary Hospital was set up in Abingdon. Tesdale House,which I believe is now 22 and 24 Marcham Road (pictured above) – together with 2 adjoining houses, had 60 beds. There was also a Nissen Hut for recreation set up in the garden.
The Red Cross in Abingdon
The hospital was open for the first soldiers in March 1915 and closed in March 1919 having cared for over 1,000 soldiers. Nurses included Miss Challenor, who gave an account of the hospital in a booklet, about the Red Cross in Berkshire, to be found in Abingdon Library local reference section.
The Red Cross in Abingdon
Nowadays the Red Cross in Abingdon have a building in Colwell Drive, next to McDonalds.
The Red Cross in Abingdon
They still help people in times of crisis.

People interested in finding out more, and possibly helping, will be welcomed to a Coffee Morning next week.