In 1887, the British Empire celebrated Victoria’s Golden Jubilee on 20th June 1887, and a statue of Queen Victoria was presented by Edwin Trendell, and unveiled in Abingdon by Lord Wantage two days earlier.

The pedestal, of Portland stone is about seven feet high; the statue of Sycilian marble, nearly eight feet high, making the monument about fifteen feet high.

On her head Queen Victoria has a small crown with a veil. In her right hand she holds a sceptre, and in the left, instead of the more usual globe, she holds a lotus blossom to signify the Imperial reign in India. She wears a heavy  velvet cloak with a lighter satin dress, and a sash as Sovereign of the Order of the Garter, a company of up to 24 Knights and lady companions.

The statue is to be found in the Abbey Gardens in Abingdon, about 50 yards from the original and more prominent position in the Market Place.

John Creemer Clarke was a clothing manufacturer in Abingdon who went on to become Mayor of Abingdon from 1869-1870 and MP for Abingdon from 1874-1885. He was somebody who paid for some important Abingdon community buildings.

Trinity Church was built in 1875 thanks to his generosity, and was once called Clarke’s Chapel.

He lived at Waste Court, now part of Abingdon School.

He also paid for the Cottage Hospital to be built on Bath Street, nearby in 1885. As at Trinity four foundation stones were laid, and inscribed by people close to him.

The ground floor of the hospital contained two large, and two small wards, and a dispensary. Upstairs there was a convalescent room. There was also a south facing lawn where patients could sit out and convalesce. Back then the hospital would have been supported by voluntary contributions, and the Abingdon Herald listed every week who had given what in the way of help. ‘Abingdon Cottage Hospital thank Mrs Budgett for eggs, Mrs Hathaway for cakes & magazines, & Mr Townsend for illustrated papers.’

The Cottage Hospital was where Mercers’ Court, part of Abingdon School now stands – off Bath Street where you can see through railings and arches to a fountain.

John Creemer Clarke’s final stone monument is in the Old Cemetery in Abingdon and is dated 1895. It has the inscription ‘The memory of the just is blessed’.

It is a large monument with surrounding kerbstones, on which there are several inscriptions to family members, the most recent in the 1970s. I wonder whether he still has relatives living in Abingdon.

There are lots of interesting images of Abingdon that appear on ebay, some of them asking quite a high price.

How much would you be willing to pay for the following cards currently on ebay?

Abingdon Snow Scene April 26 1908. River & Church

Abingdon. Carswell Council School, Bostock Road

Abingdon – the market square

The asking prices are £17.50 (with free postage) for the first one, £8.00 (and free postage) for the second, and £3 (with £1 postage) for the third.

The Action For Children In Conflict charity shop in Bath Street had a box of old postcards for sale at £1 each, and removed them for valuation. None of them were of Abingdon but to the right person could fetch far more.