Work has begun to take down the end wall of the scaffolded building near the top of West St Helen Street.

The scaffold was erected in October 2024 after widening cracks led the district council’s Building Control team to act on safety grounds.

The situation has affected many people. Pedestrian access has been restricted, which has been particularly difficult for disabled and elderly people. It has also closed off rear access and parking for some residents and blocked the rear access to the Grapes pub (currently under refurbishment). Residents of the flats above moved out, and Pappy’s Jamaican restaurant was forced to vacate the building.

No timescale for completion has been announced, although Pappy’s put up a ‘Coming Soon’ banner a few weeks ago.

At the Kings Gate development, most of the building work is now complete. Landscaping is progressing well, particularly along the new pedestrian and cycle path that runs parallel to the A34 at the northern edge of the estate.

This area includes Hasnip Mead, named in honour of Audrey and Keith Hasnip, who both served as Mayors of Abingdon—Audrey in 2002–03, and Keith in 2004–05.

Over on the Abbey Fields development, construction is still ongoing, but some of the new roads have recently been named in tribute to longstanding Abingdon businesses. Goff Way commemorates E. R. Goff, the Bridge Street newsagents, whose former premises are now occupied by the Abingdon Barber.

Other road names include Beesley Close, recalling Beesley’s clothing shop which traded in Abingdon from 1883 until its closure in 2001,

and Viney’s Close, named after one of the Viney’s businesses. In later days there was a well-known furniture store and earlier a drapery.

Bordering the A34 near these roads is a new play park. The dry weather of April and May has left the grass looking parched. With rain finally arriving in June, is it too late to save the grass?

Since my last visit in November, progress has been made at the Radley Reach development off the Twelve Acre Drive. Dozens of new homes are now occupied.

Phase 2 is well underway, with more houses rising steadily behind the completed areas.

Several roads have now been given road signs. Among them are Russell Avenue and Spooner Court. Peter Spooner was the Mayor of Abingdon from 1987 to 1988. Could Russell Avenue be a tribute to Tony Russell, once the bagman of the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers?

Elsewhere, the road names follow an Abingdon Abbey theme with names such as Monk Crescent, Prior Road, Monastery Gardens, Cantor Row, and Benedictine Row.

The Benedictine Row sign also points to the Sports Pavilion.

Behind the housing, the development borders open farmland, with wheat growing close to the perimeter.

The Free Library building has been hidden behind scaffolding for quite some time. Now the covers are off, revealing the mix of Victorian and Mock Tudor architecture. Features include large bay windows, steep gables, and a grand stone doorway. Above it, the plaque reads ‘FREE LIBRARY’  It opened in 1895.

At street level, the right-hand side is Crumbs Sandwich Bar – in bright orange. On the left, a sweet and vape shop briefly occupied the space last summer — still under scaffolding at the time. Now, a new barbershop has taken its place.

On the other side of Crumbs is Efes, Abingdon’s first Turkish barbershop. (Crumbs is now in the middle of a barbershop sandwich.)

Efes has also had a quick update in the last week and now features foldaway doors and a newly laid floor. ‘Efes’ refers to the ancient city of Ephesus known from the bible. It is also a popular Turkish beer named after the ancient city.