Many thanks to Martin at The Strowger Appreciation Site for letting me share a couple of his pictures.
What first drew me to his website was Mastervision. It was an early experiment in cable television, that was tried and failed in Abingdon. This was in the early 1970s, many years before Comtel dug up all our pavements.
There was a tall receiver by the Mill Stream and “ over 7 miles of cable, distributing 8 channels of television and radio, to 1300 homes in Abingdon.” The target to become profitable had been more like 4000.
The Office of Mastervision was next to The Black Swan in Bath Street. This picture was taken after the demolition of the heart of Abingdon and before Woolworths was built. More of that at Martin’s page about 1960s Destruction of Abingdon.
The main selling point of Mastervision was the clear TV picture in a time of fuzziness, and no need for television aerials. Martin has a much much fuller explanation at Mastervision Cable TV.
I suspect most people on the Internet will know that the digital switchover is to happen in this area during September. Before then you will be sent an information booklet. But if you are 75 or over, or living in a care home, you can get FREE installation and retuning. Visit helpscheme.co.uk.
