Water is reflected on the underside of the navigation arch of Abingdon (Burford) Bridge on sunny days.

In 1790, when Abingdon Lock was opened, one of the original arches was widened to ease navigation. After that, to allow larger boats, the river was dredged further down than previous bridge builders could have foreseen. Dredging and the greater weight of road traffic meant the original bridge became unstable, and around 1927 the bridge was again rebuilt to create the current 60-foot span of reinforced concrete.

The history of the rebuild in 1927 can be read about at https://www.oxoniensia.org/volumes/1937/leeming.pdf.

To walk down to St Helen’s Wharf and gaze at the River Thames is a pleasure. This evening I stood there for some time and then walked beside the river.

The houses were floating like an island in the sky at Abingdon Marina.

At Long Alley Almshouses, electric light fanned through gravestones.

Salter’s Steamers run a boat between Oxford and Abingdon for pre-booked groups of 30 or more.

The boat came through Abingdon Lock at about 4:30 pm.

Postcards, lupin seeds, and The River Thames Guidebook are on sale at the lock. All proceeds to RNLI.

Reading carried over thirty passengers, and many waved at the children waiting to cross the lock.

The Abingdon-on-Thames swan family are still together after the swan-upping two weeks ago.

There was a training session at the Open Air Pool with lifeguards helping a volunteer who pretended to faint. After checking her breathing and her airway was clear, they left her in the recovery position.