Abingdon Museum has created a fascinating new exhibition, “Atomics to Medieval Knights – a History of Fitzharris Manor Estate,” which opened on Saturday, 11th January. This exhibition explores the history of Fitzharris Manor, tracing its evolution from its origins shortly after the Norman Conquest to its transformation into the Fitzharry’s Manor Estate.

Visitors can journey through time, from display board to display board, and through artifacts, exploring how the Manor changed hands and underwent architectural changes across centuries. The exhibition then shifts its focus to the mid-20th century, when the arrival of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) at Harwell changed Abingdon.

With the influx of scientists and engineers – nicknamed the “Atomics” – a new housing estate was built on the Fitzharris Manor site. The exhibition highlights the  planning and construction of this estate, and the cosmopolitan community that moved in. By 1959, Harwell staff and their families made up nearly a quarter of Abingdon’s population (counting this estate and the Appleford Drive area and beyond). They actively participated in local clubs, societies, and volunteer work.

The walled estate, with its green spaces, the River Stert, the Motte, and a nearby wood, provided an idyll setting for families. The exhibition explores estate life, including the AERE blue buses that transported residents to work at Harwell and the impact of the groundbreaking research conducted there, from projects like Zeta and Gleep & Bepo to the Nimrod accelerator.

Today, while fewer residents work at Harwell or Culham, the Fitzharry’s Manor Estate remains a peaceful residential area with green space and an enduring history. Much of the research for this exhibition was done by Mike Evans of the Fitzharris Estate Residents Association.

The museum is run by Abingdon-on-Thames town council.

It is half term week and the Abingdon Museum staff are expecting more visitors up the museum stairs.

In the Attic Gallery there are models dressed in the fashions from 1066 to the 1980s. Inspired by a book on a millennium of fashion, Lisa Jayne Smith has dressed 110 models from Saxon and Medieval times through to the 20th century.

But how many stairs will you have to climb to visit the museum attic, or the museum roof? Find out in the following video. It also counts the number of stairs to the basement (12) and to the sessions hall (37).

The Abingdon County Hall Museum has a small lift from street level that can take visitors to the cellar area. It first opened in July 2012, but has been out of order for all of 2023. Repairs are now underway.

In 2010, plans to install a lift to the main gallery were rejected by English Heritage, who argued that it would have caused harm to the Grade II listed building. However, Abingdon on Thames Town Council, who run the museum, have said in the past that they are committed to making the museum more accessible and are currently considering options for a larger lift. The museum manager was asked in the finance committee meeting of June 2023 to report back on options, and money has already spent on the project of a new lift.

In the meantime, visitors to the museum who need to access the upper floors can use the staircase. The staircase is located at the back of the building and has 120 steps.