Monthly Archives: September 2014

Abingdon Heritage Open Day – Sunday

The Sunday of Heritage Open Weekend has been much quieter since Fun in The Parks got moved to June.

After yesterday’s excitement there followed 3 walks and half a dozen open properties on Sunday.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Sunday
Patrick swapped roles from Town Crier to leading the Boundary Walk this year, leaving at 11am.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Sunday
There were 2 other walks at 2pm.

Both were a little over subscribed and an attempt was made to split them between a main walk leader and a smaller group following behind with another leader…
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Sunday
Thanks again to Peter who sent more pictures after yesterday’s blog post. He visited Ruby’s Retro Fair. They had a good day so we hope to see them back in a few months.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Sunday
Peter also visited the ex Probation Office at 1-3 Ock Street.

Kemp & Kemp, the new owners, gave a very interesting talk, and tour showing how they had transformed the property.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Sunday
Also thanks to Rachel from the Camera Club who sent me some good pictures. I will try to put the pictures together into a better online album soon.

David has already put together a youtube compilation of pictures.

Abingdon Heritage Open Day – Saturday

Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Saturday
Thanks to Steve for the first two pictures at today’s Heritage WWI Event on the Market Place. The first shows the recruiting Sergeant filling in the papers for another young Abingdon recruit going to serve King and Country.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Saturday
The second shows Mr Punch and The Kaiser having a ding dong in front of the children.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Saturday
Mr Punch has lost none of his punch with these kids after 100 years.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Saturday
Thanks to Peter, also from Abingdon Camera Club, for this picture of the recruitment desk and the two pictures that follow.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Saturday
Some lads from Abingdon about to join up for King and Country.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Saturday
who then go through some initial training, getting it wrong and get an earful.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Saturday
The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers, and Mr Hemmings Traditional Abingdon Morris Dancers, joined forces in memory of colleagues from 100 years ago.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Saturday
Councillor Angela Lawrence, The Mayor of Abingdon, opened the Heritage Open Day activities at 10am, and is seen here in East St Helen Street.

Window displays showed the history of buildings, and a record of those who went to serve in WWI. There were 16 Properties opened for Heritage Open Day, and there were many windows on the past.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Saturday
The Community Shop stayed open for an extra day – showing an exhibition of Abingdon people who served in WWI. All the pictures they collected will become part of the local history collection in the library. They used a 1914 way of counting Saturday’s visitors.
Abingdon Heritage Open Day - Saturday
Finally, unless I get sent more pictures, the earlier recruits returned in modern day uniform to show they really could keep step and march in time in front of their visiting Brigadier, and MP Nicola Blackwood.

Warning: 50th Anniversary of Ock Street Fire Station

50th Anniversary of Ock Street Fire Station
There will be a 50th Anniversary Open Day at Abingdon Fire Station and they want photos, stories, memories etc, to form part of their display. They already have over 200 photos of past and current firefighters and incidents,and fire engines.
50th Anniversary of Ock Street Fire Station
The Borough of Abingdon was always very proud of their Fire Service. The Fire Station in Bury Street was built 100 years ago and this picture shows one of their engines.
50th Anniversary of Ock Street Fire Station
50 years ago they moved to the modern looking fire station in Ock Street.
50th Anniversary of Ock Street Fire Station
Nowadays the fire service don’t just attend fires. They are there on roads and rivers as the nearest we have to a National Rescue Service.

The open day on 27th September runs from 11am-3pm and will include a BBQ, lots of static displays, old memorabilia, Morris Dancing and bun throwing from the top of the drill tower.

Abingdon Hydro Share Offer Date Announced

Abingdon Hydro Share Offer
The chance to buy shares in Abingdon Hydro will be opened to us on Saturday 1st November.

The shares will pay for the £1 million scheme to harness power from The River Thames, a scheme that has been in planning and consultation for 4 years, by people from the local communty wanting to generate green energy for Abingdon from an untapped source.

Some of the water currently flowing over Abingdon weir will go instead through two Archimedes screws, generating between them at full power almost 100kW of electrical power, and on average 55kW (55,000 Watts). That is 1,000 55W light bulbs.

Find out more from Abingdon Hydro.