These houses stood in West St Helen Street in the town of Abingdon-on-Thames until the late 1970s. This picture was sent to me by Steve and says ‘my old house is where your house is now’.

The new houses, including ours, were built around 1980.

West St Helen Street is one of the two roads leading north from South Abingdon, and can be busy. It is in the centre of town near all the shops. During the last three months of the Coronavirus lockdown it has been quieter and more neighbourly. We saw several neighbours, out at the same time – standing on doorsteps, when people applauded hospital workers and other key workers on Thursdays at 8pm.

This is my entry for the Theme Day at City Daily Photo. Visit neighbourhoods around the world at Theme Day at City Daily Photo.

There are five entrances into the Albert Park in Abingdon. The entrance at the bottom – held open by a metal arm, gives a view to the Albert Memorial at the top of the park.

Albert Park is landscaped with trees and bushes – no flower beds. There is a pathway inside the perimeter and grass lawns at the centre, including the super perfect lawn of the bowls club.

There were people seated in small groups on the grass. The lockdown is easing and life is speeding up in Abingdon. Let us hope it does not go back to the complete Helter Skelter of before.

Year 1 and 6 went back to school yesterday or today, with smaller cohort groups and different entrances and separate playtimes to try to keep social distancing. (picture shows marking at Entrance 2 at Carswell School near Albert Park).

There were still a lot of children about in the park.

Prince Albert and Queen Victoria had nine children, five girls and four boys. For those who have been home schooling you can read Prince Albert’s Parenting Tips at https://blog.english-heritage.org.uk/prince-alberts-parenting-tips/.

Albert devised the children’s demanding curriculum, and closely monitored the day-to-day running of the schoolroom with the governors and governesses. 

See more parks round the world at City Daily Photo bloggers.

Most people in the UK are following the rules to stay at home during the COVID-19 outbreak to protect the NHS (National Health Service) from being overwhelmed.

Thameside School has remained open with a skeleton staff for some of the children of key workers. Children of key workers have made a rainbow now displayed on the school gates. The rest of the children are working from home using books and internet resources. Those working from home are also putting rainbows in windows at home.

The first day of the month is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community. This month the theme is School. You can see other members’ contributions at the CDP Theme Day portal.

The first of the month is Theme Day at City Daily Photo and this month’s topic is Municipal Buildings

Staff of the Vale of the White Horse District Council (VWHDC) first moved into the new red brick HQ, Abbey House, over the weekend of 27th-28th July 1991. Before then the 251 staff had been housed in five locations in Abingdon town centre: Old Abbey House (previously called Abbey House), The Charter, Bridge Street, Bath Street and Roysse Court. Staff brought with them 3,500 containers, 900 filing cabinets, and 140 items of computer equipment. The Abbey House in Abingdon was officially opened, some time later, by the Duke of Kent on 30th November 1992.

Abbey House continued as the HQ of VWHDC until 2013 when staff moved in with colleagues from South Oxfordshire District Council at their offices in Crowmarsh Gifford. The reason given was that the two councils increasingly worked together and shared core staff.

VWHDC then decided to let part of the ground floor of Abbey House and the whole of the first and second floors to Oxfordshire County Council. Abbey House continues as joint accomodation for both councils with a help desk for both. However both councils have their HQs elsewhere.

In January 2015 the Crowmarsh Gifford offices were extensively damaged by an arson attack. Abbey House was used for some emergency services, and even Old Abbey House was used a little. The VWHDC staff then moved to temporary offices at Milton Park.

The decision has recently been made to rebuild the offices at Crowmarsh Gifford. Last month designs went on display.

Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council was in another Municipal building, Old Abbey House, for many years. That building has been mostly empty since they left in 2014. There has not been a lot of news about what VWHDC will do with it. Before the local elections in 2019 there were plans for it to be used for Social Housing. That was when the Conservatives were in charge. But I am not aware of any new announcements by the new Lib-Dem administration of its new use.

The Town Council is now in Roysse Court.