St Ethelwolds Garden – July 2024

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July is typically the peak of summer in the UK, and at last there are warm days for sitting outside in your garden or the garden at St Ethelwolds. The St Ethelwolds garden is bright with colour particularly when the sun shines.

The garden looks peaceful and inviting and a place where people come to relax. Its fame has spread beyond Abingdon. Yesterday I met some people from Reading, visiting Abingdon who knew of the garden.

On one wall is the fragrant Summer Wine climbing rose.

Some of the bees in the garden live in the garden’s own bee and insect hotel.

Down in the wild flower area are a mass of blooms with insects hovering between flowers.

The vegetable and fruit garden at the bottom has herbs, beans, courgettes, lettuce, berries, rhubarb and more.

A couple of new businesses in Abingdon

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Clarks shoe shop in Bury Street has reopened its doors! After closing on April 20th, the shop has returned under new management. Local residents can once again enjoy the convenience of a shoe store in Abingdon. With the new school year just around the corner, the shop is well-positioned to meet the demand for footwear.

A new independent pizza shop has recently opened its doors on Ock Street. Taking over the former Pizza Hut location, which closed in June 2023, the new eatery is welcoming customers.

Abingdon Town Noticeboard: Committee Papers

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The Abingdon Town Council noticeboard is usually a colourful mix of community event posters and council committee updates. Lately, however, committee papers have dominated. I did find some things of interests:

There is the consultation by the Vale of White Horse District Council on redrawing district council boundaries. In Abingdon that will mean instead of having 5 wards with 2 councillors each, the district council will be three wards (Abingdon North, South, and East) with 3 councillors each. Comments can be made until 16th September. See Have your say on a new political map for vale of white horse district council/.

Abingdon could be loosing a Nail Bar. Its entrance is the doorway between Costa and Starbucks. It was the first Abingdon Nail Bar but now there are several and it could become a flat.

Regarding the Old Gaol development which included plans for three retail spaces to complement the flats. Currently, one space houses Costa and another serves as a dentist. The proposal under consideration suggests converting the remaining unit into flats. However, the Town Council’s Planning Committee argues for maintaining the original agreement.

The Thames Water Reservoir consultation ends on Wednesday, 28 August 2024 (apologies I said 28th July by mistake) . See: https://www.thameswater.co.uk/news/reservoir-public-events-start.

The post box on the Market Place is sometimes used to post What’s On posters. This Saturday the Oxford Welsh Voice Choir are performing at St Helens.

Spring Road Cemetery: An A-Z of Abingdon Citizens

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As the school summer holidays commence, the town of Abingdon undergoes a change. The Spring Road Cemetery also underwent a seasonal change with the long grass being cut.

It had become a wildflower meadow with butterflies and bees.

The cemetery has two Gothic-style chapels, built in 1860. One chapel is available for funeral services (of up to 30 people). The other serves as a chapel of rest for Edward Carter Funeral Directors.

Spring Road Cemetery stands as an A-Z of some of Abingdon’s past residents, ranging from everyday citizens to prominent figures.

Among the legible graves is that of Vera Olive Alder, who passed away at the age of 23. She lies with her parents, Alice and George Alder, formerly of Ock Street, Abingdon. The 1911 census records George as an auctioneer’s porter, while Alice managed the household. Vera was two years old at the time of that census.

Another figure is William Bowler, who died in 1870 at the age of 50. He was known for running a building business in the town employing 6 men and 2 boys in the 1861 census.

One particularly impressive monument is dedicated to John Creemer Clarke (1821 –1895), a former local MP, town benefactor, and owner of a clothing factory that provided employment for many Abingdon residents.

P.S. The first grave has a cross representing Jesus. The letters IHC or IHS on the last two graves are both an abbreviation of Jesus’ name in Greek.