Monthly Archives: September 2016

35 Ock Street – Twenty Years On

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35 Ock Street
There was a party in the carpark of Abingdon Baptist Church this afternoon with a hog roast and balloons.

It followed a special service in the church building where old friends returned to Abingdon to join in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of 35 Ock Street – next door.
35 Ock Street
35 Ock Street was built as a timber framed house in the early 17th Century, and so is older than those twenty years.

From around 1700 it became the manse where the Baptist Minister lived, with a Georgian facade added towards the end of the 18th Century.

During the late 20th Century, after the Minister moved to a manse elsewhere in Abingdon, 35 Ock Street was scheduled for demolition to create modern offices. But because of its listed building status the old rickety building survived, and after a lot of fundraising it was renovated and re-opened in 1996 as a cafe and community centre serving the town centre .
35 Ock Street
Twenty Years On , it still runs as a cafe, and community centre. And today there was free coffee and tea.

Hot September Days, Thunderstorm at Night, and Harvest Moon

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Harvest Moon
After three hot September days, there was heavy rain last night with lightening and thunder. The gap between the lightening and thunder was first thirteen seconds and then eight seconds. It did not get any closer. As a rule of thumb there are five seconds for a mile.

This evening the clouds are lit up by a Harvest Moon – the full moon nearest the Harvest Festival.

Happy Retirement and Best Wishes

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Happy Retirement
Pascal and Debbie retired a few weeks ago. The shop closed for a couple of weeks during the transition. The new team in charge are working hard to continue the success that Pascal and Debbie created on East St Helen Street. I see the lights on each evening as they prepare for the following day.
Happy Retirement
They had a stall under the County Hall during Heritage Day. Best Wishes for the retirement and the continued success of the business.

Marie Eighty Years On – still providing a Perfect Fit

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A Perfect Fit
This advert is from Marie in Abingdon sixty years ago, at a time when the business was just twenty years old.
A Perfect Fit
There is a ten day exhibition in Abingdon Museum celebrating eighty years of Marie, the boutique in Bath Street Abingdon. The exhibition features corsets and lingerie dating back to Victorian times. There are also old photographs and artifacts from the original Marie shop.