Outside the Aldi supermarket on the Wootton Road there have been roadworks since the start of September to replace the old gas mains. They have caused tailbacks particularly back along Copenhagen Drive.

Most of the houses at the Kings Gate development have been finished. There are still a few to be built close to the A34

There is no road sign yet for these houses but I did see a food bin with the name Hasnip Mead, presumably named after Audrey Hasnip, or possibly Keith Hasnip, both of whom were Mayors of Abingdon.

Walking through the Abbey Fields development there are three cross roads that end at the fence with the A34: Gower Road, Knights Mead, and Cox Way. There was Brian Gower Shoes. F Knight & Sons ran the hardware store that is now Sydenhams. And Cox? There have been two mayors of Abingdon with the name Cox, a Mayor of Ock Street called Cox, a local historian called Mieneke Cox, and various businesses called Cox. But I am probably missing the most obvious Cox.

There is still a lot of building activity in Abbey Fields.

Further along is The Meadows, where building work is fairly new. There is a new marketing suite, the third marketing suite on the walk.

Arriving at the Oxford Road Roundabout, work on upgrading the roundabout, planned to be completed in Autumn 2024, has been stalled for some months. Autumn ends on November 30th and so two weeks remain to meet that target. Beyond can be seen Radley Reach.

At Radley Reach are completed buildings and a lot of buildings work in progress and another marketing suite. It does not look as if anybody has moved in yet.

One of two new residential buildings has been lifted into position on the site of the demolished Ferry Boat House. The first building will comprise a one bedroom flat on the ground floor and a two-bedroom flat on the upper storeys.

A three-bedroom house with direct views of the River Thames has yet to arrive. The development will have small gardens, and between the two buildings car parking spaces.

The prefabricated building was transported to the site and lifted into place.

The town council has arranged for scaffolding to be installed in the Abbey Hall (Guildhall) to allow experts to safely access and remove ceiling tiles containing asbestos. This process is complex, costly, and requires approval from the HSE, which will take several weeks.

The council has granted the Abbey Cinema rent-free use of the Old Magistrates’ Court from 4th November 2024 to 31st January 2025 and free use of the Roysse Room on 14th and 15th December for pantomime performances. The Abbey Cinema will be screening Paddington in Peru in The Old Magistrates Court from 8th November, and have invested in new projection, audio, and screen technology. Tickets price of all films will be reduced to £7.50.

The scaffolding erected at the Dangerous Building at 3 West St Helen Street does mean the building is unlikely to fall on anybody, but has unfortunately created accessibility problems. There is no pedestrian or vehicle access through the alleyway to the courtyard behind. The lack of ramps on either side of West St Helen Street, and the narrowed roadway make it difficult for mobility scooters etc. .

The recent removal of the scaffolding in front of Howden – the Insurance Broker – has improved the building’s visibility. It is now easier to see the friendly faces of the people inside, as well as two boards with local community information. I can also see Howden are celebrating Halloween and have a scheme where ‘people will be able to visit and swap a pair of football boots that no longer fit, for a pair that do.’

P.S. The following picture is the one described by Michael Harrison in the comment.