Thanks to Captain Chaos for the first picture …

A most excellent entertainment consisting of music and readings and drama was given in St Michael’s church this evening – 28th January.

The Reverend Paul Smith began by playing the part of Reverend Nathaniel Dodson, who caused St Michael’s Church to be built 150 years ago.

The entertainment was arranged by Hilary Clare and Glynne Butt (seen here on Pianoforte accompanying Peter Willis, a well known vocalist).

The church was crowded by a highly respectable audience.

The entertainment included a new selection of songs from the comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan called The Mikado. The song ‘Three Little Maids’ was loudly and rapturously applauded.

The evening ended with a rousing rendition of Rule Britannia.

Buns were thrown into the audience as we remembered Queen Victoria’s Diamond jubilee.

In the short space of an evening we relived Victoria’s reign, and its impact on Abingdon life.

It was part of the celebration of St Michael’s 150th anniversary – and was most ably executed.

Thanks to Captain Chaos for this look back at the Hygienic laundry. The Hygienic Laundry (Abingdon) was set up in 1932 and closed in 1976.

This photograph shows the staff at the laundry circa 1945. I think the room is the one on the corner of Wilsham Road and Caldecott Road. The lady second from left, second row from front is my late Auntie Win. During the war another Auntie, Gladys (who also worked there), recalls how they would launder the bloodied sheets and uniforms from a near-by American Military hospital (possibly Cowley). In Win’s loft, I found a large wooden trunk that was used to carry their laundry, it was stamped U.S Army and had the names of a number of G.I.’s pinned to the side.

Gladys also recalls how during the war the staff would take it in turn to “Fire Watch” which basically meant two girls would spend the night sleeping on the office floor of the Laundry just in case anything happened to the building. She spoke of the night she was on watch and Abingdon was the target of enemy bombers. Search lights were blazing and the anti-aircraft guns firing. Shippon Church took a hit as did Evelyn road.

At the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford there is an exhibition called ‘King Alfred’s Coins’. It show the recently discovered Watlington Hoard, and a large number of other local artifacts, including some from Abingdon.

You can see the original Abingdon Sword on display at this exhibition – an iron sword fragment and hilt found near Abingdon in 1874. The sword itself dates from around 874.

A reproduction of the Abingdon Sword can be seen at Abingdon County Hall Museum.

Captainkaos2 came across some pictures of the Abingdon King Dick motorcycle which was recently featured on this blog.

The pictures were sent by a relative in Australia. Thanks to him for sharing. The motorcycles were made at Coxeters in Abingdon before production switched to Birmingham.