Category Archives: heritage

Heritage Open Weekend 2011 – Saturday

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Heritage Day
Heritage Open Day is normally just the Saturday. But this year there are some open properties and activities on Sunday.
Heritage Day
The new Abbey Heritage trail was unveiled today. Both the Mayor and Chairman of the Vale were at the opening, and it was followed by a guided walk round the new information boards.
Heritage Day
The Abingdon Branch model railway was in the new part of the Guildhall.
Heritage Day
East St helen Street was – as ever – the most popular part of the day with so many houses having displays of their history in windows, or open. This doublet, found in an attic, was on display.
Heritage Day
Throughout the day there were two jesters entertaining the crowds,
Heritage Day
as were the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers.
Heritage Day
There were a number of different walks,  but I finished off the day with a walk round the lost pubs of Abingdon.  More to do on Sunday, where the big event is Fun in the Parks from 2-5 in the Abbey Gardens.

Abingdon postcards on Ebay Today

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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 …
abingdonpostcard
Abingdon, Heraldic Series, Cities and Towns No.203 … Published by Frank Smith, Oxford … 1905
abingdonpostcard
Date of 1910 written on the back. Not posted.
abingdonpostcard
Message dated 1919.
abingdonpostcard
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.

Outline of the Abbey Church

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At 14:30 on Sunday 31 July there is a guided tour of Abingdon’s Mediaeval Abbey by the Friends of Abingdon. To book a place email: pb@paulineburren.co.uk or phone 01235 521873. It will include a walk round various grounds and buildings including the outline of the Abbey Church …
Tour of Abbey
… charted using underground scanning techniques by the Lost Abbey Project.

Tour of Abbey
Today there were a group of people learning Nordic walking round the outline.

And there was me, with my more erratic walking, filming the outline of the Abbey Church, and the Abbey Gateway…

Over Heritage Weekend there will be the launch of the Lost Abbey information trail. More of that soon.

The Oldest House in Abingdon …

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Oldest House in Abingdon
I was listening in to a conversation. The subject got onto old houses, and one chap said to the other…
Oldest House in Abingdon
‘The one with the timbers and removed brick infill on Stert Street says 1470. Do you think it can be?‘
Oldest House in Abingdon
The other one considered the matter, ‘Its possible’ he said, ‘But I think there is one older in East St Helen’s Street.
Oldest House in Abingdon
The one with the plaque..’
Oldest House in Abingdon
There are certainly some very old houses in Abingdon.  Many of them are down East St Helen’s Street.
Oldest House in Abingdon
But the Long Alley Almshouses, originally built in 1446, would be hard to beat.

Or do you know better?