Monthly Archives: December 2013

New Buildings of 2013

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The sun has gone down on 2013. There follow pictures of some of the new Abingdon buildings of 2013…

The new Science Centre at St Helen and St Katharine is progressing well.

New flats have been built on Marcham Road.

Audrey’s Flower Shop was once on this site on Ock Street, but now it is Audrey’s Court.

A new Design and Technology Centre opened at Our Lady’s Abingdon in October.

Bridge House, a Care Home between Waitrose and the Abbey Gardens, also opened earlier in the year. This was once the site of the Abbey Press.

Campion House, next to John Mason School, was demolished, and replaced with Retirement Apartments in 2013.

A busy town on one bank; cattle, knee-deep in water by the other!

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The floodplain over the other side of the River Thames is still under a lot of water, as is the seat in memory of Michael Hambleton (Minister of Abingdon Baptist Church 1991 to 2000).

It was raining again this morning and most of my pictures got blurred and are unusable.

Last week I picked up, from Oxfam, a Guide to Abingdon … “Written by Friends and Servants of Abingdon.” The guide has no date, but can be dated … “Work is in progress on the construction of a new Assembly Hall for the town. This hall, which will seat 500 people, will be linked to the Guildhall, and should be completed during 1965.”

The 1965 Official Guide to Abingdon was priced at 2/6 and is a delight to read … “A busy town on one bank; cattle, knee-deep in water by the other! That is the contrast offered at Abingdon, and many an attractive picture it provides, especially on a Sunday when the picture is augmented by the sweet sound of bells borne across the quiet water.”

Unsolved in 2013 – The Bins, The Barriers, and The Boat

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At the end of 2013, there appears to have been no progress in finding a solution to the bins at the bottom of Bridge Street. At one time they were hidden away behind the Old Police Station, but once development started they lost their home, and have been in full view for about three years.

The barriers at the upper end of Stert Street have been there for two years now. Some partial work was done on stabilising the underground River Stert in 2012, at the lower end, but there has been no further progress since, and so that bus stop is still not in use.

A boat has been in a field next to the River Thames for about a year – since it got beached in last winter’s floods.

They may not be high priorities but they are all very noticeable.

Town Centre Shop Changes – 2013

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Changes in 2013

Press on Changes in 2013 for a bigger pdf version. Not a brilliant map and not to scale but it serves this yearly purpose.

Key:
Green is a shop that was vacant at the start of the year which is now occupied.
Yellow means a change of ownership.
Red is a vacant shop premises that was occupied at the start of the year.

Change in 2007 ( 6 green, 5 yellow, 10 red ) – Net Loss 4
Change in 2008 ( 10 green, 8 yellow, 13 red ) – Net Loss 3
Change in 2009 ( 9 green, 6 yellow, 6 red ) – Net Gain 3
Change in 2010 ( 9 green, 6 yellow, 5 red ) – Net Gain 3
Change in 2011 ( 2 green, 8 yellow, 5 red ) – Net Loss 3
Change in 2012 ( 6 green, 1 yellow, 7 red ) – Net Loss 1
Change in 2013 ( 7 green, 8 yellow, 6 red ) – Net Gain 1

The Narrows (Wetherspoons) opened on the High Street in the Old Post Office. QC closed.

Art and Stuff is now where Skinny Hippo was. The Olives has replaced Kitsons.

New Look moved and took one of the new larger units down Bury Street. Costa expanded by knocking through into the empty Jessops premises. Hatton Goldsmiths downsized and took one of the Bury Street kiosks. Phone Box took the other kiosk.

Philosphy moved to the Market Place, and was replaced by Simon’s News who had vacated ER Goffs, now undergoing a refurbishment.

Salinas came back – more as a Coffee / Snack place than the restaurant it had been before.

Belinda’s Jewellery Box opened where there had not been shop recently on East St Helen Street. Sean Antony should follow soon.

On West St Helen Street it was goodbye to Faulkner Photography and Paul Viney Photography who continue to operate but without a town centre studio. Withy King (moved to Vineyard Chambers), Lansborough Estate (moved to Ock Street), and Natural Health (moved to Coxeter House). AAH Printer Solutions moved from Coxeter House. Chaba Thai moved in where The Thai Orchid used to be.