Jackie Smith, Abingdon’s Honorary Archivist, will be granted the Freedom of the Town of Abingdon-on-Thames at a special ceremony on Saturday 27 September (photo courtesy of the Town Crier).

Also on Saturday 27 September there’s a litter pick beside the River Thames. With the weir pathway now open, access for volunteers should be easier than at the previous event.

On Sunday 28 September Abingdon hosted Abbey-Con 25, a TV, film and pop-culture convention featuring celebrity guests, photo opportunities, trade stalls, props, costumes and interactive experiences.

On Tuesday 30 September Agnostics Anonymous will continue their discussions, this time exploring the question: “Why would a good God create through evolution with its violence and waste?”

Starting Wednesday 1 October, Abingdon Drama Club are staging a thriller at the Unicorn Theatre about a sociopathic student who persuades his weaker-minded friend to help murder an innocent fellow undergraduate.

Also on Wednesday 1 October, the Town Council meets in the Roysse Room. Alongside updates from County and District councillors, committee reports will be presented. The Finance Committee is recommending that the Council move its day-to-day current account banking away from NatWest.

The new Abingdon Cake Club for local baking enthusiasts meets next on Thursday 2 October. For details contact debbiegarrod21@gmail.com / 07939 260580.

On Thursday 2 October for National Poetry Day, four published poets living in or near Abingdon will read from their work at the library. There will also be poems by other local poets, followed by an open-mic session for anyone who would like to share a poem.

Almost too late to publicise these first two events:

Thursday 18 September 6:00 pm
Abingdon Library Author Talk – local author Eve Smith discusses her latest speculative thriller The Cure, recently named one of The Times’ best thrillers of 2025. Tickets £2 from Abingdon Library.

Thursday 18 September 7:45 pm
Architectural Talk – historian David Clark explores lesser-known historic buildings and features behind Abingdon’s everyday façades. Preceded by a short AGM of the Abingdon Area Archaeological and Historical Society at The Northcourt Centre. A donation from non-members is suggested.

Saturday 20 September 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Craft & Gift Market – browse a wide range of crafts and gifts while enjoying the historic setting of Abingdon Guildhall.

Saturday 20 September 10:30 am – 1:00 pm
Repair Café – bring your broken household, electrical or mechanical items, as well as knives, scissors and garden tools, to be repaired by volunteers at Unit 25, Bury Street.
Free Bike Checks are also available 10:30 am – 1:00 pm under the County Hall arches.

Saturday 20 September 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Biodiversity Walk at St Ethelwold’s House. Botanist John Killick (co-author of Flora of Oxfordshire) leads a walk exploring the rich plant life of St Ethelwold’s garden. Free, but donations to the St Ethelwold’s building appeal are welcome.

Saturday 20 September 7:30 pm
Ocean Film Festival World Tour 2025 at the Amey Theatre, Abingdon School – a curated selection of short films celebrating the ocean, featuring marine life, adventure and environmental themes.

Sunday 21 September 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
At One Planet Abingdon in the museum basement – a drop-in event for young people featuring crafting, painting, board games, baking and other creative activities.

Downton Abbey – The Grand Finale is showing all week at the Abbey Cinema and follows the Crawley family and their staff during the 1930s. See times and book at theabbey.ac.
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(The image above suggests a 1930s atmosphere – brought to life with a little help from ChatGPT’s image tools, complete with a tiny mistake only an AI could make.)

Heritage Open Days – 13–14 September This year’s theme is ‘Exploring Abingdon’s Architectural History’.

Roysse Room Exhibition: Abingdon’s Historic Buildings – Lost, Recorded and Understood – Sat & Sun, 10 am–4 pm.

Unit 25, Bury Street: Evolving Abingdon (redevelopment of the 1960s–70s) and Reaching for the Stars (fusion energy at Culham) – Fri–Mon, 10 am–4 pm. Abingdon Artists will be displaying their painted building in Unit 25 over Saturday and Sunday.

Abbey Buildings: Roman re-enactments and rural crafts on Saturday to complement the exhibition in the County Hall Museum

Open Properties: Over a dozen buildings open, including the Old Gaol foyer, Sophos Building, and Christchurch barn conversion. St Helen’s Church will have an organ try-out, tower climbs, and quizzes.

Trinity Abingdon marks its 150th anniversary with an exhibition on Saturday. On Sunday there will be a guided tour at 2 pm followed by an illustrated talk at 2.30 pm about the church’s history and architecture.

Walks & Trails: Guided walks on Sunday, plus self-guided and treasure trails.

Full programme at abingdonheritage.org.uk. The Heritage stall will be on the Market Place for more information and to sign up for walks.

Other Events

The final St Michael’s Church Cream Tea of the year: Saturday 13 September, 2.30–4.30 pm – £5 including tea or coffee and cake.

Concert at St Michael’s Church: Sunday 14 September, 3 pm – pianist and conductor Huw Rhys James performs Haydn, Mozart, Liszt and Debussy. Tickets £12 (under-16s free).

Make Music Abingdon is at the Loose Cannon Brewery: Thursday next week – includes Ben Heaneyn, previously featured at HealthFest.

Abingdon HealthFest returns to the Market Place on Saturday 6th September, from 10am to 2pm. This annual event brings together sports clubs, care providers, community groups, and charities — with demonstrations and advice, some of which could even prove life-saving. The Mayor will be on hand to tour the stalls and chat with participants. See full details here: Healthy Abingdon.

The Abingdon Horticultural Society Autumn Show (Sat 6th September, Northcourt Centre) offers a colourful range of competition classes — flowers, fruit and veg, floral arrangements, homecraft, preserves, baking, beverages, photography, and children’s entries — with cups and medals up for grabs.
The Abbey Meadow Outdoor Pool has just one more week left of the season. It closes on Monday 8th September after the popular Swim for Dogs event in the afternoon and evening. Expect plenty of owners trying to coax their dogs into the pool and some more enthusiastic doggy paddlers. Places are booking fast.

On Thursday 4th September, there’s live Americana-style folk music with Roswell Road at the Unicorn Theatre, part of the Music at the Unicorn series, with support from Sarah Yeo. More details: musicattheunicorn.org.uk.

And looking ahead — more events are on the way, including Heritage Day. I’ll highlight those separately in a few days time.