One thing about buying a house or shop or restaurant in the centre of Abingdon is that you are likely one day or another to start getting interested in its history. At the Camino Restaurant + B&B for example…

In the attic there were “some receipts that are from around 1877… They mention shops from the town such as Cleavers Haberdashery, Parsons Tea Dealer, Lyfords Butchers, Abingdon Gas-Light and Coke Company and more. They are all made to a Mr James Faulkner, who it appears was a butcher and potato dealer.”

Mr Faulkner seemed to have like his stout.

This premises has been, in recent times, “a TV aerial shop, a butchers, Lamberts Restaurant, Il Camino Restaurant, Don Giovanni and now Camino Restaurant, The first floor was converted from a dining/function room to 4 B&B rooms in 2007.” The butcher’s rail was left behind and can still be seen above.

But going further back there is also well. It was “discovered under a heavy slap when they began changing it to a restaurant the first time.”

Thanks for these details from Ryan at the Camino Restaurant. On the days running up to Abingdon Heritage Open Day on 12th September I would be interested to receive any other such historical discoveries to use here.

Things have been stirring in The Abbey Shopping Centre in Abingdon. For one thing Abingdon is getting a toys-uk where Going Places used to be. This is a very welcome addition to the Abingdon shopping scene given the demise of Woolworths at the start of the year.

A few doors down, two shop fronts have been boarded up for what I presume are new shop fronts, maybe even a larger retail unit is being created as two are knocked into one. I’m speculating as I don’t know. This is happening between Clarkes Shoes and the Book Store.

During his talk, last Thursday, Griff Rhys Jones was encouraging people to use the waterways, and said it is wonderful to go along small rivers where everything is unspoilt…

Today in such a spirit we went for a walk down towards swift ditch, but couldn’t get through the usual way from Abingdon Lock because the environment agency are reinforcing some of the river bank.

Having gone the long way round guided by the many diversion signs we did eventually get there…

There was evidence of more repairs about to happen on the railway sleeper bridge over the first swift ditch channel.

When we reached the second channel, the one that passes through the original pound lock, we saw not just one or two boats…

They just kept coming…

Harry and me counted at least ten boats going under the footbridge. Could this be Griff’s Legacy?

Thanks to Tim who e-mailed me about this event… The rugby was fast and thrilling.

It was the 53rd running of the Abingdon Rugby Sevens pre season tournament. The first one in 1956 was held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the town receiving its Royal Charter.

Abingdon RFC can be seen here in Black with Emerald / Gold chestband against Blue Boar in Navy Blue and White hoops. There were 16 teams in all.

Gary Linneker was quoted this week in the Radio Times as saying “Parents shouting at kids from the touchline is my pet hate.’ I wonder what he would have made of this scene.

I was very impressed watching the Kamikaze Sevens from south Wales. They seemed to throw the ball in ways I’d never seen done before – like harlem globe trotters rather than your average rugby players. Here they are bringing in another try.

Lastly, I did not see this team play, but was very interested in the strip of the Cheeky Ladies rugby team. They started life at Newcastle University, and appear to want to make rugby look more sexy.