I often pass these flats and read the two large address plates on the back saying that this is “The Old Mayor’s House”.

Today I read about that building in Historic Abingdon, Fifty-six articles by Agnes C  Baker. On the 18th April 1952 she wrote  “The house breakers are at work in Abingdon … at No 9, High Street … workmen hurl down masonry … just as close on 400 years ago the house was build.”

Number 9, The High Street, was once the house of Richard Mayott, the first Mayor of Abingdon –  1556. He was also Mayor 1568-69, and for the third time in 1578, during which time he died.

Miss Baker writes that elaborate carving have been discovered on the back of one stone fireplace, and says that people conjecture that the stone is from Abingdon Abbey.

Back then the building was being rebuilt to provide better premises for the Co-operative Society.

That same shop is currently To Let. Two letting agents seem to be involved – one of whose sign fell down at the end of November, and is still to be seen in a heap on the ground.

Peering into the hole, you can see how our fine County Hall is balanced on rubble foundations.

Also looking into the lift hole there appear to be areas that are now being more carefully dug out. It could be that the the archaeologists have been called in to investigate – possibly a Roman ditch.

I used to regularly buy postcards from ebay, and kept a watch out for Abingdon postcards.

I  revisited ebay with a search for “Abingdon Postcards” just now and found these four postcards …

Abingdon, Heraldic Series, Cities and Towns No.203 … Published by Frank Smith, Oxford … 1905

Date of 1910 written on the back. Not posted.

Message dated 1919.

Postmarked Wantage 1910.

The scenes on these postcards are still very easy to recognise after over 100 years.  But go a little further out from the centre of Abingdon… and houses have replaced fields …  and older dwellings like  those at Northcourt have been surrounded by, and become part of, the greater town of Abingdon.