The museum lift appears to be Out of Order more often than not. Perhaps outside lifts are just not that reliable.
Meanwhile there has been scaffolding round the Cupola, at the top of the museum, for the last 2 or 3 months. English Heritage are investigating some unexplained noises.
There was a warm welcome for all at the 6pm-9pm Museum at Night event at Abingdon County Hall Museum.
Members of the MG Car Club were there in numbers, parked on the nearby Market Place.
Exhibits include an MG.
MGs cars were once made in Abingdon.
There was also a performance by the Abingdon Town Oompah band led by Steve Rich.
This was a tribute to Abingdon’s twin town Schongau, in Bavaria, who have an excellent brass band.
Search ‘Abingdon’ in the Guiness Book of Records and there are now more entries thanks to the longest loom band. Radley College are also in there with the fastest Treadmill 100 miles team run.
There is also Most endangered animal and Rarest reptile. On further investigation this turns out to be `Lonesome George’ the giant tortoise Geochelone elephantopus abingdoni from the Pinta or Abingdon Island in the Galapagos Islands. George died in 2012 of natural causes.
George can now be viewed at The American Museum of Natural History.
They have done a Good Job ‘Preserving Lonesome George’ for future generations.
Over the years regiments have been amalgamated. The Royal Berkshire Regiment, in which a lot of Abingdon men served, eventually became The Rifles – along with several other county named regiments.
The museum that holds the collections for two of those regiments: the Royal Berkshire Regiment, and Wiltshire Regiment, is in Salisbury in Wiltshire, and is called The Wardrobe.
There are probably more Wiltshire, than Berkshire, exhibits on display but given the location within view of Salisbury Cathedral that is understandable.
Just inside the entrance there are some army banners. Next to one Royal Berkshire Regiment banner a label says “Following the Opium War of 1841, the 49th Regiment (later the Royal Berkshire) was authorised to wear the Dragon and the word ‘China’ emblazoned with its colours.”
Not on display, but viewable on their web site, the museum have some pictures of Abingdon soldiers, and people, that can be ordered. There are some of of an early “Abingdon contingent assembling on Abingdon Railway station on route to their war time station after the start of the 1st World War.”