Category Archives: museum

Visit to a Museum in Salisbury

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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.
Royal Berkshire Regiment
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.
Royal Berkshire Regiment
There are probably more Wiltshire, than Berkshire, exhibits on display but given the location within view of Salisbury Cathedral that is understandable.
Royal Berkshire Regiment
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.”
Royal Berkshire Regiment
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.”

Keep Calm and Drink Tea

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Keep Calm Drink Tea
One difference in the County Hall Museum since re-opening is that the roof is open more often, and gets far more visitors. You can even order afternoon tea from Basement Buns (Tuesday – Saturday 11-3.)
Keep Calm Drink Tea
The views are the same as before – mostly.
Keep Calm Drink Tea
There is scaffolding round the Crown and Thistle, and the roof is off their barn.
Keep Calm Drink Tea
Stroll-In is being worked on.
Keep Calm Drink Tea
The Old Gaol never did fit into the Abingdon skyline. Now even less so.
Keep Calm Drink Tea
Come to think of it. The County Hall hasn’t got a gabled roof either.

Nevermind… Tea has arrived. (Thanks to Throwing Buns for the final picture.)

Red Carpet out at Museum

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Royal Visit
Many thanks to Alex for sending me this picture of the official opening of the County Hall Museum. The Royal personage who unveiled the plaque was Prince Richard, The Duke of Gloucester. The last time The Duke of Gloucester visited Abingdon was for the opening of the Resource and Wellbeing Centre in October 2010. I didn’t get a picture of him on that occasion either.

Abingdon 450 Exhibition

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Abingdon 450 Exhibition
Michael St John Parker, Headmaster 1975 – 2001, gave a very interesting talk this evening about the exhibition at Abingdon Museum – Abingdon to Zanzibar – an A to Z of Abingdon School over 450 years. The talk was in the Roysse Room – the one time school room.

In the talk there was high praise for some ex headmasters such as Thomas Woods 1716-1753 during whose time a lot of the nobility sent their sons to Abingdon, when it became a top school in the country. There was less praise for another headmaster who started off with a good complement of pupils but ended up with just three, then did a similar act of decimation at his next school.

One ex pupil, Colonel Bringfield, became a national hero when he stopped a canon ball with his head – was decapitated, but saved Lord Marlborough whose horse he was holding on the battlefield. As a result Colonel Bringfield has a monument in Westminster Abbey. Another Old Abingdonian, called Ridley, helped stop the Slave Trade in Zanzibar.

The talk also gave a new angle on local historical figures like John Roysse and the Tesdales. I expect it will be printed in time so well worth reading.