The Sisters of Swing sang at Abingdon Royal British Legion on Sunday to entertain people taking part in the Battle of Britain Classic Car Parade.
The cars drove round Abingdon visiting “RAF Abingdon” and saluting the Lodge Hill Spitfire before returning to the Royal British Legion.
Today (September 15th 2015) marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
At 11am on Sunday morning, the bells of St Nicolas were ringing, and the Town Crier was ringing his bell, and the dogs, who have very sensitive ears, were not enjoying the walk – yet.
Patrick, who led the Boundary Walk, made himself heard over the Bells of St Nics.
Pat Bryden organises the walks on the Sunday of Heritage Weekend, and some got overbooked. An extra walk was laid on for those who would otherwise have been disappointed – Hester volunteered to lead a second Abingdon Abbey Walk.
Residents of East St Helen Street, and round the Albert Park, and 3 Stert Street, and Oxfam in Stert Street, had put out interesting displays.
Last year the Museum put on the WWI commemoration event on the Market Place, and this year we remembered Victorian times, inspired by the Albert Park Residents Association who produced their book – 150 years after the Prince Albert Monument was unveiled.
So what next in 2016? It will be 50 years since England won the World Cup for one thing.
On Saturday evening there was a unique opportunity to see the Russian Balalaika Quartet, Karavai, in Abingdon. Thy came thanks to George Haslam, who has so many musical contacts. They performed at the Royal British Legion, just after the 10pm Meat draw, having sped over from a concert in Dorchester.
Their leader asked through their interpreter “What is this instrument?”
The audience hazarded a guess … “Balalaika?”
The Balalaika has just three strings, two of them the same.
The music produced by such a simple instruments was amazing. The quartet began with Russian folk songs, then played Russian arrangements of songs from round the world, including an Irish Ballad, and Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles.
We sat at the front table and, when they ended their half hour performance, were moved to stand up, like X Factor judges, acknowledging a simply incredible, and very moving, performance.
Pictured above are the interpreter, the Balalaika Quartet, and George Haslam (who played baritone sax before they arrived) and Steve Kershaw (who played double bass with George).
Karavai are here from the Russian City Perm, in the Urals – twinned with Oxford. They would love to play at the Liverpool Festival.
At the start of Heritage Open Day the community choir, from Abingdon Music Centre, led community singing – through the rain
The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers led the dancing that followed and skies cleared for what became a bright sunny afternoon.
The town crier announced what was happening, and found a possible town crier for the future.
Throughout the day we found a little about what it was like to be poor in ‘Hard Times’.
Re-enactors from The Ragged Victorians approached people in Abingdon as if it was 1851.
AS well as milling around, there were a number of incidents that happened during the day that needed the intervention of the Police.
But thankfully not from the modern day police.
Victorians built a lot of the Abingdon churches. On Heritage Open Day a large number of Abingdon’s historic properties were open for people to look round, including some of those churches. Churches were also open for Ride and Stride. The Bishop of Dorchester took part, visiting many Abingdon churches, in an orange T-Shirt.
Abingdon Bowling Club put on a special tournament at 2:30, which visitors from Abingdon’s twin town Schongau, in Germany, went to watch (apology I got my details wrong in saying 11:00 earlier)
Lots of people dressed up on the day, local people at the bowling, and
the visiting Ragged Victorians.
Abingdon Rotary Club sold Victorian beverages on the Market Place, and Paul from Simon’s News sold sweets that would have been recognisable to Victorians. On Sunday Christ’s Hospital Hall (alms houses), and Old Abbey Buildings are open. There are also walks:
11:00 Abingdon 1556 Boundary Walk (2 hours and 4 miles)
11:00 Wilts and Berks Canal Walk (1.5 hours and 3 miles)
14:00 Lost Abbey Walk (1 hour and 1 mile)
14:00 St Helen and the Almshouses (1 hour and 1 mile)