There are three large yellow cranes on the  Abingdon School grounds. Contractors have demolished the Amey Theatre Conservatory and are using one crane to erect a new building known as Beech Court Pavilion alongside the Amey Theatre.

The other cranes are busy with other rebuild projects.

Abingdon School is set on extensive grounds in the centre of Abingdon and is conscious of being part of a larger community. Their Community Services web page at https://www.abingdon.org.uk/other-half/service-activities/the-role-of-community-service-at-abingdon/ explains more.

There has been a lot of activity at Old Abbey House, with tradespeople coming and going. The roof looks nearly complete, but it is difficult to tell how work is progressing inside and when the hotel will be open.

P.S. The planning application for widening the gate was the hotel at Cosenors House. I saw ‘hotel’ and did not double-check. Apologies

Development continues on the other new estate, Abbey Fields. It is separated from Kings Gate by the Tilsley Park sports facility with an athletics track and all-weather sports pitches.

The view from Tilsley Park makes Abbey Fields look picturesque with the new drainage lake in the foreground. There has been a lot of rain recently, and this could be less of a lake during the summer.

Abbey Fields borders the A34, and between houses and the road is a mound of earth topped by a fence to form a sound barrier.

Where the mound ends, the fence is about twenty feet tall.

People on the new Kings Gate estate have a wide dual-use (cycle and pedestrian) path that leads to the new store.

That also gives a good route for pedestrians and cyclists from some of the older houses if they cross from around Farm Road to the new Vernon Place. So far the new roads have a Mayor of Abingdon theme, which only holds if Vernon Place is named after Dr Vernon Butt (Mayor 1996-97).

The other new road, Walker Grove, could be after Pamela Walker (Mayor 1979-1980).

The estate also has a half-hourly bus service to Oxford or Abingdon town centre (and Wantage) with the X1.