Art on Show and Under Repair

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The Town Crier had been out promoting Artweek and stopped by St Nicolas Church to see the art and jewellery on show by the Abbey Group.

Inside the church, artworks were arranged at the back, over some of the pews, and round the pulpit.

At the far end of the church, a scaffold tower was in place as the lights were being replaced with energy-efficient ones. More scaffolding surrounded the Blacknall’s tomb, which was built for John Blacknall and his wife, who died ‘at one instant of time’ in August 1625 — four hundred years ago.

Two restorers were at work, repairing missing plaster and touching up the paint round the monument. A special service is planned in August to mark the 400th anniversary.

Abbey Buildings – £4 Million Restoration Grant Announced

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An announcement was made today at the Abbey Buildings in Abingdon of the award of a £4 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Pictured at the event are Felicity Dick, Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire; Gregory Bensberg MBE, Chair of the Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust; and Cllr Rawda Jehlani, Abingdon’s new Mayor, elected yesterday.

The grant will fund a three-year project to restore and modernise the 13th-century Grade I listed buildings – the Unicorn Theatre, Checker, Undercroft and Long Gallery – making them accessible and usable all year round. Plans include windows to fully weatherproof the Long Gallery, installing a lift, creating level floors, and enhancing facilities including a glass lobby, retractable seating, and disabled toilets in the Unicorn Theatre.

Gregory Bensberg said, ‘These buildings are part of Abingdon’s story and central to our community. Making sure that everyone can access these, all year round, is the reason this project is needed.’

The Abbey Buildings Trust, formed from the Friends of Abingdon Civic Society, has already raised over £1.2 million from Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council, the Wolfson Foundation, the Historic Houses Foundation, the Pilgrim Trust and the Oxfordshire Buildings Trust and will now launch a public appeal to complete the funding. Works are hoped to begin in summer 2025.

Christian Aid at 80

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On Saturday, a Christian Aid stall was set up in Abingdon’s Market Place, marking the start of Christian Aid Week 2025.

Christian Aid was founded in 1945 as Christian Reconciliation in Europe, in response to the suffering caused by the Second World War. British and Irish churches came together to support refugees in urgent need. In 1957 they launched Christian Aid Week and in 1964 renamed the charity to Christian Aid.

Eighty years on, Christian Aid continues to work alongside communities around the world facing poverty, conflict, and climate crises.

Twenty years ago, most households in Abingdon received a distinctive stick-down Christian Aid envelope, collected door to door by volunteers. That tradition is less common, but fundraising continues in new ways such as online envelopes.

The Abingdon Christian Aid Group’s online envelopes for 2025 is at https://fundraise.christianaid.org.uk/envelope-2025/abingdons-envelope.

VE80 – MGs on the Market Place

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Abingdon marked the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE80) with a display of classic MG cars on the Market Place. Alongside the cars, an exhibition told the story of how the MG factory in Abingdon helped the war effort during World War II.

When the war began, MG stopped making cars. Instead, the factory’s workers turned their skills to wartime production. They repaired armoured vehicles and built Crusader tanks. They also made engine parts for Lancaster bombers, wing sections for Tempest fighter planes, and other aircraft parts—such as units for Albemarle aircraft and panels for Hawker Typhoons.

One of the MG cars on display, a Magnette, had a special passenger: an 80 year old, soft toy duck called Quackers. Quackers was made during the war by the car owner’s Uncle Harry, who was seriously wounded in Italy and lost the use of his right hand. As part of his recovery, he taught himself to knit with his left hand and made Quackers who has stayed with the family ever since.

The Mayor of Abingdon, Councillor Gabby Barody, visited the display and spoke with the organisers. It is likely to be her final event as Mayor, as the town council will elect a new Mayor tomorrow.

P.S. This is the display currently at the bottom of Stratton Way. Thanks to Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council.