A walk by Abingdon Lock

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These discoveries on the walk round by Abingdon Lock may be old news to some, but here they are anyway …

On Wednesday, November 27th, a narrowboat broke free and sank near Abingdon Lock. The vessel remains submerged against the weir wall, its hull held in place by the river current and ropes.

The boat owner and their dog are safe. A large tree branch is entangled behind the boat as the river flows around and through it.

I did hear that the lock keeper provided temporary shelter in the lock house until alternative arrangements could be made for the boat owner.

In an update, the lock keeper has written on a board that insurance and recovery companies  must wait for the river flow to subside significantly before removing the boat.

Apart from what must be a sad episode for the boat owner, there was a beautiful winter sunset this evening at the lock.

A second discovery on the walk was the opening of the new Sushi takeaway on Bridge Street.

CiA Christmas Carols on the Market Place

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Sally Mears led the Church in Abingdon (CiA) carols this morning on Abingdon Market Place.

There was a good turn out. By the time they reached ‘O, the rising of the sun / And the running of the deer’ there was also warm sunshine.

In previous years, I have been asked when there will be carol singing in Abingdon. So here is what I have been able to find out about carol services from church websites. (The website links are included if you want to double check. I am just human.)

Abingdon Church Carol Services

Church (Location) Event Name Date Time
All Saints Carols by Candlelight Sunday, December 15th 3:30 PM
Peachcroft Christian Centre
(Peachcroft Park)		 Carols in the Park Sunday, December 15th 5:30 PM
Salvation Army Community Carols Wednesday, December 18th 11:00 AM
Abingdon Community Church
(Thameside School)		 Community Carols Sunday, December 22nd 10:30 AM
Abbey Baptist Church Carol Service Sunday, December 22nd 10:30 AM and 6:00 PM
Christ Church Carol Service Sunday, December 22nd 4:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Our Lady and St Edmund’s Carol Service Sunday, December 22nd 4:00 PM
Trinity Carol Service Sunday, December 22nd 4:30 PM
St Helen’s Carols by Candlelight Sunday, December 22nd 5:30 PM
Abingdon Baptist Church Carol Service Sunday, December 22nd 6:00 PM
St Nicolas Carol Service Sunday, December 22nd 6:00 PM
St Michael and All Angels Carols and Readings Tuesday, December 24th 6:00 PM

The Oxfordshire County Carol Service is in Abingdon this year. The Chair of Oxfordshire County Council, Councillor Alison Rooke, and The Bishop of Dorchester, The Rt Revd Gavin Collins, invite you to join them on Monday 16 December 2024 at 6.30 pm in St Michael and All Angels Church. Dress code is smart casual and chains are to be worn.

A Festive Bells Initiative (FBI) will ensure the carol services at St Helen’s and St Nicolas are heard far and wide.

The Abbey Baptists, who are not part of the CiA, have their own Carol Service on the Market Place on Saturday, December, 21st at 10 AM.

From Fashion to Phones: New Life for 26 Bury Street

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The former Dorothy Perkins store at 26 Bury Street, vacant since its closure in 2018, will see new life tomorrow. On Saturday, 14th, Decembers the shutters will open to reveal a brightly lit branch of a tech specialist who repair, buy and sell mobile phones, and sell accessories. The company also have a branch in the Orchard Centre in Didcot.

A week of Carol Concerts at St Helen’s Church

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This week, St Helen’s Church has been a hub of activity as local schools bring in large groups of students for their Carol Concerts. These gatherings attract up to 700 young people at a time, filling the church with all the additional chairs.

The services are primarily led by the schools’ own chaplains or teachers and St Helen’s staff play a supportive role. The majority of the organisational work, including managing the large groups of children, is handled by the school staff. On Monday was the Abingdon Prep School Carol Concert; on Tuesday Our Lady’s Abingdon Carol Concerts (there were two); today, Thursday, the Manor Prep School has a day of Concerts; and tomorrow is the Abingdon School Carol Service.

It will then be the end of term for all these schools, which are not in the state sector. The state schools have another week to go. Their carol concerts are next week.

One unique aspect of St Helen’s preparations is the Jesse Tree, a Christmas tree that depicts the lineage of Jesus Christ. Each day, additional figures are added to the tree.

An Arcadian Christmas Concert is at St Helens Church on Saturday. The Arcadian Singers are a student-run chamber choir based in Oxford.