Category Archives: heritage

Visitors from Abingdon’s twin town Argentan

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Argentan Visitors
There are visitors from Abingdon’s twin town Argentan over for the weekend. The party includes two of the priests from Argentan’s parish church. They will be taking part in the Remembrance Day service.

As part of the cultural exchange they were told a little bit about Trinity Church, its history, and the history of the Methodist movement. A short extract was read from the diary of John Wesley – the founder of Methodism – and his impressions when he visited Abingdon on 22nd July 1741 …

Argentan Visitors

Argentan Visitors
Then the Argentan visitors went over to the church hall where a festive fair was in full swing and they could buy quince jam, marmalade and home made festive decorations, and have a go on the Tombola. After that bangers and mash was served up from the kitchen servery.

Spring Road Cemetery – 5 memorials

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In Spring Road Cemetery (also sometimes known as the Old Cemetery) are the memorials of a number of interesting people and I thought I’d start an occasional series to point some of them out. If anybody has any more details or corrections I would be interested to get my facts right.
Spring Road Cemetery
Arthur Preston, historian, Abingdon Mayor and Freeman has a headstone near the lower chapel of rest.
Spring Road Cemetery
One of the largest stones has been erected for John Creemer Clarke, Member of Parliament, clothing manufacturer, and the benefactor who helped fund the building of Trinity church and the cottage hospital.
Spring Road Cemetery
At the top end of the cemetery is a memorial to J E Steven of the Royal Navy Air Service who died in 1917 during WWI.
Spring Road Cemetery
Not far away, two other persons buried in the cemetery during World War I were from China. I am told they were part of a labour camp at Milton. For many years their graves were surrounded by iron railings since it was the custom to leave money scattered on Chinese graves. Their names : Ar Fook and Muk Sheung.

Abingdon at 11 am on Armistice Day

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When I searched Ebay for Abingdon I found mostly postcards for sale – including three featuring the war memorial in days gone by.
War Memorial
At 11 O’clock this morning about 40 people stood in silence round the war memorial to mark Armistice Day. The town crier rang his bell to announce the two minute silence.
War Memorial
The town clerk, Mayor and Chair of the Vale were there, behind them were town councillors.
War Memorial
There were also two young ladies selling poppies, where the green shop front once was. Near them were some veterans with medals. And round about were people – some who had deliberately come and others who had paused in passing as a mark of respect.

Sporadic traffic continued to flow as the people stood in silence until the town crier rang his bell again. Somebody then broke the silence to complain that it was a total disgrace that the traffic had shown no respect.

Decanting a Museum

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Museum soon to close
As you can see, in the Sessions Hall, some cases have already been emptied.
Museum soon to close
Most of Abingdon’s collection is already deposited away in the museum store at Standlake, but there are some items stored away at the top of the stairs, on the top floor of the County Hall… an old gramophone, the bones of an Ichthyosaur, drawers for holding a printer’s typeset…
Museum soon to close
Everything is carefully photographed and labelled, then wrapped for safe transit.
Museum soon to close
Chris Gale is in charge of decanting the museum and is packing it all away into boxes.