Abrail 2024 is the 50th anniversary exhibition of the Abingdon and District Model Railway Club (ADMRC). It takes place over two days, on Saturday, March 2nd and Sunday, March 3rd, 2024, at Abingdon and Witney College in Abingdon.

There were two layouts of the Abingdon Branch in the sports hall, one at O Gauge

and one at OO gauge.

The Chair of ADMRC, Bill Marnan, showed round the Mayor of Abingdon, Councellor Gwyneth Lewis. She remembered going on the Abingdon Branch line to school in Oxford.

Over 40 model railway layouts were on display, showcasing various scales, styles and places, most real, some fictitious. They were sited in the main college building on two floors, the Advanced Skills Centre, and the Sports Hall. On the second floor were some fun layouts, more for young families, including Lego City, Abingdon.

Railways were important in World War Two, and the Overlord layout depicted the railways at the dockyards in the days surrounding the invasion of Normandy. It has been under construction for thirty years.

The event was very popular and there was a wait to get to look at some of the layouts in the main building. There wasn’t even elbow room at Elbow Lane!!!

There were traders selling model railway products. The event also included talks, and demonstrations.

The Abingdon and District Model Railway Club website has more information.

Abingdon Museum has started 2024 with an exhibition called “Celebrating Abingdon Women in the Arts and Sciences.” It showcases some of the incredible women who lived in Abingdon

Art and crafts: Pat Russell and Janet Boulton opened their own paper-making studio, while Charlotte Hardcastle created accurate drawings of plants.
History: Agnes Baker brought history to life through books, plays, and historical processions. Gabrielle Lambrick explored the secrets of Abingdon Abbey. Mieneke Cox helped tell the town’s story through museum exhibits and books. Marion Wenzel took care of the Abbey buildings and produced artwork.
Science: Mary Buckland made detailed drawings of fossils.
Writing: Dorothy Richardson wrote some of the first stream-of-consciousness novels.

There are information boards, artwork, and a video slideshow showing these and other women, and groups of women, some you may know.

The museum is run by Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council and you can see more at https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/event/exhibition-celebrating-abingdon-women-in-the-arts-and-sciences

Some of the women also appear on the Abingdon People website:
Agnes Baker: https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/abingdon_people/agnes-baker
Mary Buckland: https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/abingdon_people/mary-buckland-nee-morland
Mieneke Cox: https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/abingdon_people/mieneke-cox
Gabrielle Lambrick: https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/abingdon_people/gabrielle-lambrick

‘I am Felicity’s hat …’

At the Abbey Buildings today, an exhibition showed clothes with stories attached, written by their owners, often in the voice of the clothes. The exhibition also highlighted the fashion industry’s environmental impact and encouraged sustainable fashion practices.

This exhibition now moves to the Council Chamber in the Guildhall, Abingdon, where you can catch it from 11am to 3pm until December 2nd.

There was also a workshop on saving the planet and some exciting baking. Participants pulled apart and shared the ‘Fashion shouldn’t cost the earth’ multi-cupcake.

The current exhibition at Abingdon County Hall Museum is a fun one, featuring the cartoons of Geoff Dunbar, a local artist and animator who has received national acclaim, including a BAFTA. The exhibition includes a video about his work and his fascinating recollections of Abingdon.

The video helps to explain some of the cartoons, such as the one of the joke shop. The Artist tells of a second-hand clothes shop in Stert Street, which during the summer holidays, was transformed into a joke shop, and which became a firework shop with Guy Fawkes in the window before November 5th.

The exhibition also features cartoons of present-day Abingdon, and the fun is to see how many caricatures you can recognise. The Artist sez, ‘any resemblance to any person living or otherwise, is purely coincidental…’

Some of the coincidental persons were invited to the opening of the exhibition on October 7th. Others staffed it. The exhibition runs until December 23rd.

Abingdon County Hall Museum is run by Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council.