The sign says ‘Margaret Brown – Councillor from 1972 – 1981 – Dedicated to the People of Abingdon’
The view looking along the river from the Margaret Brown Gardens, through the leaves of the weeping willow.
The view back to St Helens Wharf from the Margaret Brown Gardens.
And these are the Margaret Brown Gardens themselves.
Previous post have shown a little of Abingdon Business Park and a bit of Abingdon Science Park but more interesting, to me at least, is the Radley Road Industrial Estate.
We start with a picture of A Walker UPVC Ltd.
But perhaps we should not jump in at the middle but start with this huge iron gate near the turn in from Radley Road. One side says Allens, and the other Motors. Outside and inside are a variety of Commercial vehicles (lorries and vans). Many have seen better days. The website http://www.allens-motors.co.uk has not been kept up.
Next door is Dignity Funerals Limited “the UK’s largest provider of funeral related services… owning 500 funeral directors...” and then alongside Brewers decorating materials who “carry a range of decorating materials from Albany paints to Zinsser primers“
Over the road you will find the Adhectic timber and sheet yard – a born and bred Abingdon Company
Round the corner is another Abingdon based company. It is one that might be recomended by your insurance company next time you have a prang. They are Hemmings Accident Repair Centre and “cater for all aspects of car body repairs and insurance work”
Lastly, and I may revisit to picture a few more businesses, but I’ll close off for now with Baskervilles who supply fresh food for caterers…. and I’ve seen them doing house deliveries in Abingdon.
The best photographers seem to use black and white for effect, so in this post I’ve gone for greyscale. First, sun streaming through the County Hall undercroft.
A dandelion in the Abbey Meadows.
Lastly a self portrait taken with my dog, next to the bent road sign of Curtis Avenue.
Production of the MG ceased in 1981 and since then the factory site has become Abingdon Business Park and attracted a lot of new busines to the town.
The site was bought and developed by Standard Life. (Standard Life were demutalised back in June, and a lot of people got shares in the company as part of the deumtualisation.)
The Park has been landscaped and has the most impressive fountains and lily ponds in the town. It has even won awards for the transformation from derelict factory site to leafy utopian place to work.
This is one of the newer buildings, and faces the only undeveloped stretch of land. I saw three pheasant skidaddling around there before taking this picture. The front is one large open glass wall like a cross-section into an office. Here, Swets Information Services manage the distribution of academic and other publications. They have taken over the more well know local firm: Blackwells Information Services.
Next door, is the UK centre for EBI foods. They are a major supplier to McDonalds of batters and breadcrumbs. A few years ago EBI Foods had a modest distribution centre off the Drayton Road, and have expanded to this much larger space….
Other Major office holders in the Business Park include: