The Nags Head pub has a unique location on an island on the River Thames. Abingdon Bridge connects it to Abingdon, and Burford Bridge connects it to South Oxfordshire. On warm summer days it is a popular place to sit near the river, drink a pint, eat chips, and watch the boats go by.

Boat trips leave from the pub’s island to Oxford and Wallingford. It seems to have a wonderful location, for the summer, so I’m sad to say, it has closed. Let’s hope it turns out to be just a winter closure.

The Loose Cannon brewery had a busy time leading up to Christmas.

This was my first time inside the brewery since it opened back in August.

The shop, out front, has been decked out with boughs of hops.

I wish Loose Cannon every success, and a Happy New Year. Abingdon Bridge, the regular brew, will be joined by a new IPA beer around February. You will have to hurry to get any of the Christmas Cannon.

This is the state of the town centre on a rainy Wednesday at the end of 2010

(Press on image for a bigger pdf version. Not a brilliant map and not to scale but it serves this yearly purpose.)

Key:
Red is a vacant shop premises that was occupied at the start of the year.
Yellow means a change of business.
Green is a shop that was vacant at the start of the year which is now occupied.

Change in 2007 (10 red, 6 green, 5 yellow) – Net Loss 4
Change in 2008 (13 red, 10 green, 8 yellow) – Net Loss 3
Change in 2009 (6 red, 9 green, 6 yellow) – Net Gain 3
Change in 2010 (5 red, 8 green, 6 yellow) – Net Gain 3

Abingdon now has a brewery and a tearoom – two things that have been missing for a few years. The van is from Loose Cannon Brewery and is outside the window of Rosie’s Tearoom.

Christopher and Sukey opened Local Roots in East St Helen Street in May 2008. They gave us seasonal vegetable boxes, local art and craft, a kids club called Seedlings. They helped us think local. It was a friendly place to drink coffee and read the newspaper.

They are closing today, Christmas Eve, at 4pm, for the final time.

Their shop was inspirational. It is a great shame it has not worked out. They are just not able to carry on in the current economic climate. In two years time it might be quite different but they cannot take that risk.