There are a couple of new exhibitions at Abingdon County Hall Museum. Upstairs, in the attic, is a travelling exhibition about Warneford Hospital and the history of Mental Health treatment. In the Sessions Hall is an exhibition called ‘Wild Life – Abingdon in a Changing Climate’ which runs from 3 October to 23 December 2026.

The wildlife exhibition features large photographs taken by local photographers, most showing wildlife in the area. A few have a more obvious connection with climate change, including pictures of algae blooms and cracked earth.

One of the most remarkable items is a folder containing cuttings from John Killick’s contributions to the Oxford Times. He used to photograph and describe different plants found in Oxfordshire, and the collection runs to over 800 examples.

There are also films to watch. One, made by the Green Gym, shows wildlife recorded during their conservation exercises. Another, by Anonymous, called ‘By the River’ follows wildlife through the seasons in Abingdon. A speaker at the other end of the exhibition plays bird song recorded in Abingdon.

The exhibition includes paintings and other mixed-media portrayals of nature by Abingdon artists, including some younger ones. There is also information about the work of local wildlife groups, including how they monitor areas for wildlife, such as the River Ock. The exhibition has been created in collaboration with local groups including One Planet Abingdon, Abingdon Carbon Cutters, the Abingdon Naturalists Society, Abingdon Camera Club and the Green Gym.

The Museum is run by Abingdon Town Council.

Thank you to Abingdon Museum for this picture taken on Thursday during Music Flood 2026.

Abingdon Market Place was alive with music on Thursday 24 September as part of Music Flood 2026.

Music Flood was started in 2021 and brings together Radley College and local schools for a week of musical activities. The week ends with a gathering in the Market Place. A different musical group takes the lead each year. This year it was the turn of the Taiko Meantime drumming group.

I went up to the museum roof today, having bought an annual pass for £10, which allows me to visit as many times as I like.

The view over the Market Place was quieter today, with shadows in the sunshine.

There was a tailback of traffic along the right-hand lane of High Street stretching back over Abingdon Bridge and out of sight towards Culham. The traffic had cleared within an hour.

From the roof, I could also see work on the roof extension (and conversion of office to residential) over Spar on the High Street, and another roof extension (and conversion of office to residential) on Lombard Street.

The museum banners on the Market Place have changed. The old sky-blue banners, in place since 2011, have now been replaced with deep green ones.

The new design features Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council’s colours and coat of arms, giving it a more formal look.

The previous banner had a lighter, airier look — echoing the blue of the sky, and blending with the background, but less easy to read.

On the old blue banner, ‘MUSEUM’ ran down the flag as one word. On the new green one, the letters are stacked, with the addition of “Free Admission” to make that clear.