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.

The clock at Clock House has stopped at 6:17, and is currently resting as the building undergoes another change.

In recent years there has been a Children’s Mental Health Clinic in the old stable yard,

and a rather splendid office with two entrances where the mansion once was.

There is now a planning application to turn the Grade II Listed buildings into flats (7 x one bedroom, 16 x two bedroom and 2 x three bedroom). It was originally a residence for the Tomkins Family built around 1720. The Abingdon Area Archaeological and Historical Society has more details.

Viewing the comments on the planning application, there are worries that new residents can only get to their parking by the very narrow Winsmore Lane. Another issue is that there will only be 17 parking places for 25 flats. And another issue is that delivery vehicles, during re-development, will need to stop at the front iron gates on Ock Street – potentially causing hold ups.

Just to add that down Winsmore Lane another unused building has recently been sold and is likely to be developed. That could add to the pressure on Abingdon’s narrowest road.