This old building at the top of Conduit Road is at the south east corner of Albert Park. It is far older than the victorian park, and the large victorian houses that surround the park. In the early 19th century it stood in a large field named Conduit field. Some small springs from the field were tapped and the water collected here in what was a forerunner of our huge modern resrvoirs. It housed a cistern where clean water could be stored, and then piped down a conduit to the people of Ock Street. Conduit House is probably much older than Abingdon’s charter being mentioned in the Amyce town survey of 1554, and may have been built by the monks of the Abbey.

This is a shop to go into. You are surrounded by warm aromas: herbal remedies, fresh bread, spices. There are pulses and beans in jars; and shelves crammed with different herbal remedies, health foods, preseves, pickles, organic wines… It Is just to be found at 17 West St Helen Street AND NOWHERE ELSE.

The Abingdon Arts Festival will begin on March 8th and the final event a Pop Fest with Los Pacaminos will be on April 8th.
It will begin with various musical performances in the Market Square. There will be lots of jazz including a concert by Stekpanna joined by George Haslam from Abingdon. George seems to get jazz bands to come from faraway places like Argentina, Germany, and now Scandinavia. The festival will also see the unveiling of the Charter Wall Hanging… Theatre includes:
Half a Sixpence – by Abingdon Operatic Society
Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads – by The Abingdon Touring Theatre Company
Three Sisters – by The Old Gaol Theatre Company
Macbeth – by Abingdon Drama Club
And much much more…

Trinity Church still displays the banner that was first put up during the G8 conference last July. The Baptist Church had a similar banner but it got taken down some time ago. The Baptist ‘Poverty is History’ is History.