The present wrapping service did not do quite as well as last year – but then it was raining hard and paper gets soggy.

In the gazebo next door, free mulled wine and mince pies were doing better, thanks to one of our local estate agents.

After ten months of building work at the Abbey Shopping Centre, all the scaffolding is down now. The contractor has been working weekends and evenings in the last couple of months on what looked like a demanding project. The area looks much better and two larger shops have replaced five smaller premises.

Work now stops for Christmas. I look forward to what next year brings.

Abingdon Lock chamber is being renovated.

John sent me a picture of some heavy bags of gravel being lowered into the chamber at the far end.

Barriers are there to stop more water getting in. Floods may have hampered progress but work is underway again.

The lock chamber floor is now covered with bags of gravel. (More pictures soon of the renovation.)

I hear that the first people moved into the Old Gaol a week or so ago. You can see that there are now rising bollards to control access to the underground carpark

The Old Gaol website says “Providing superb contemporary accommodation alongside a café and restaurant quarter – the first of its kind in Abingdon – the Old Gaol will remain very much in the hearts and lives of Abingdon’s residents as well as those lucky enough to live in the new development itself.”

We hope they enjoy living in Abingdon and don’t only get to visit the shopping centres listed on the Old Gaol website, namely
Bicester Village and Swindon Designer Outlet.