A plinth has recently appeared on the Marcham Road roundabout. A new statue is expected to be put up soon on this plinth to replace the monk removed last year. That one had been carved from a single tree trunk but had rotted from within. It has since become a bug hotel in Boxhill Wood. The new one has also been carved from a single tree trunk.

A short-lived discussion on NeighbourNet suggested that the new statue is being funded and arranged by the Ock Lodge of Freemasons. It mentioned some historical links between monastic traditions and freemasonry.

The discussion went on to suggest that the roundabout site may have had earlier significance. Someone claimed that monks from Abingdon Abbey buried something important there, and that this has been known in certain circles for some time.

Another point concerned the alignment of the statue. Unlike the previous monk, which faced the A34, the new one is said to be set on a precise bearing towards the Millennium Needle, a sculpture put up in 2006 near the Abbey site, also apparently linked to Freemasons.

Finally, and most intriguing, the number of steering wheel turns needed to drive from the Millennium Needle to the centre of the roundabout is thirty-three, which is the highest degree in freemasonry.

The original discussion has been removed from NeighbourNet, today, 1 April 2026, so this is based on what I remember. There were other, more outrageous claims, I have not included. Readers may draw their own conclusions.

The Army Rowing Club (ARC) in Abingdon is owned by the Army Sport Clubs Association and so is not MOD land. The Army Rowing Club exists to encourage and promote the sport of rowing within the British Army. They supports two main disciplines of rowing; outdoor rowing (scull and row) and indoor rowing.

As ARC redevelop the land off the Wilsham Road in Abingdon, the buildings at the back are designed to house outdoor rowing boats, and the building near the river will give access to indoor rowing. The indoor rowing will take place in an underground area that was built before the huts. The underground area is a tunnel under the River Thames with an emergency trap door on the far bank, covered with vegetation. At this early stage the mismatching vegetation can be seen by anybody who looks closely. If anybody is walking along the far bank and can take a picture I would like to add it to this blog post.

A new coffee outlet has opened next to the Albert Park in Abingdon.

A spokesperson said: “The Conduit House outlet, which has created three new jobs, will allow for coffee enthusiasts to easily pick-up their favourite handcrafted coffee, such as the as the iconic Flat White featuring our signature Mocha-Italia blend, and then enjoy it in the park. “

The spokesman also said “The outlet will be a great benefit to the area. Parents waiting to pick up their children from Carswell School can now enjoy a coffee. Nearby churches are currently unable to serve coffee due to government Covid-19 restrictions, and so people will be able to pick up a coffee at the Conduit House outlet instead.”

However, not everybody is happy. One gentleman commented, “How on earth did they get permission to open this in a conservation area?”

The Conduit House coffee outlet will be operating a takeaway only service at first. Plans for a drive through outlet are being considered.

This is part of the City Daily Photo Theme Day for 1st April – for other entries see April theme day

There have been reports for some weeks of strange smells in North Abingdon.

Excavations have been happening in a field between the Wootton Road and Dunmore Road in North Abingdon, which is going to be houses. The archaeological dig is bigger that you would expect for such a site. They could have unearthed the bad smell.

The reason for the smell has not been found, but what has been found is part of a skull. The skull is quite human-like, but not fully human.

Nearby there are some very early forms of clay plates with part of a meal. Early analysis shows that it is bread-like with dried grape bits. These appear to be pre-historic currant buns.

The other thing of interest near the human-like skull are two horns fixed into a mask-like frame.

There is a long way to go but, if this is confirmed as a new sub-species, it could be called Homo abingdonii. It would also mean that bun throwing and morris dancing started much earlier than we thought.