There is a folly in the grounds of the Abingdon Children and Family Centre at the Net off Stratton Way.

With the ivy cut back it can be seen from near the Stratton Way bus stops. When the Net was a youth centre the general public often went in for events put on by young people, and the stone cave, beside the modern red brick building, was an anomaly.

The folly entrance has a metal gate to stop anybody going inside. It looks like a hermit’s cell but I am told that it was built as a Victorian folly in the garden of Stratton House – now the other side of Stratton Way.

6th September 1919

Aeroplane flights for the public at a guinea each person were made from a meadow at Shippon Manor Saturday and Sunday last.

The marriage of Miss Nora Cullen, of Abingdon, last week at St. Helen’s Church, to Dr. S W. McLellan, M.C., M.O., of Liverpool, was of special interest in that the bride belonged to the V.A.D. during the War, and spent three, years in the General Hospital at Cambrai, France, and the bridegroom was a Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps.

At the County Bench on Thursday last, John Percival Gannon, 39, was charged with frequenting the roadway near Milton Depot, for the purposes of betting transactions. —Defendant pleaded guilty. On the defendant were found money wrapped in slips of paper. He was fined £5.

13th September

The Oxford buses were running every hour during Monday and Tuesday to and fro from Abingdon to St. Giles’ Fair, Oxford, and were crowded with passengers, whilst many visitors to the fair went by train or bicycles.

At last week’s cattle market a cow escaped from the Market and turned into the front door of the Queen’s Hotel, in the Market Place, to the consternation of the customers and guests. The animal walked through the hall into one of the dining rooms, but was induced to leave without having done any damage.

The Old Berks Hounds commenced last week, and last Friday the start was made from Frilford Heath. Mr Stevenson, the new Master of the Hunt, has taken as his residence, temporarily, Lacies Court, Bath Street, Abingdon.

20th September

A whist drive and social dance, arranged by the Milton R.A.F. Depot, took place at the Roysse Rooms, Abingdon, on Thursday evening in last week. The company numbered nearly 100, and a very successful evening was enjoyed.

Pte. C. Hindley, of Didcot Camp was summoned for assaulting Annie Wilkinson, a single woman, at Abingdon, on Saturday night. Sept. 6th. by knocking her down and giving her a black eye. The defence was that the soldier was drunk.— The case was dismissed.

County Bench.— On Monday, Thomas W. Buckingham, farmer, of Wood End Farm, Cumnor, was summoned for using his premises as a slaughter house without a license, by slaughtering five sheep, contrary to the Live Stock (Sales) Order. Mr Andrew Walsh appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Murphy for defendant, ,who pleaded guilty. The Bench fined defendant £25 for keeping a slaughter house without a license, and £5 in respect of the five sheep.

27th September

The death has occurred at his residence, Burgess Bridge Street, Abingdon, of Councillor Frederick W. Matthews, at the early age of 44. Deceased was the head of the firm of Messrs. Harris and Matthews, corn, seed, hay, and straw merchants, and was elected to the Abingdon Town Council in 1911, being a very useful member of the Farm Committee. Mr Matthews came from Reading and joined the above firm about 20 years ago, and married a daughter of the late Mr W. Bradfield, Marcham. He leaves a widow and three children for whom great sympathy is felt.

The death took place at Piccadilly house, Ock Street, Abingdon, on Sunday last, of Miss A. Dodson, daughter of a former Vicar of Abingdon, at the ripe age of 90. The funeral took place at Sandford Churchyard on Tuesday.

The war upset the arrangements of the North Berks Agricultural Society, which held an autumn show in rotation in the four towns in the North Berks Constituency: Abingdon, Faringdon, Wallingford and Wantage. The last show was held at Faringdon in 1913, and was a record success. Then came the war, and the shows were abandoned. Now they have been re-started, and the first of what it is hoped will be a long succession of successful shows was held on Thursday at Abingdon, in a meadow on the Culham Road, kindly lent by Mr Walter Hays. It was not to be expected that the show would be equal to its predecessors, and neither was it, but the Committee, and all others connected with it, were much gratified with the entries and also with the very excellent exhibits. The following is a comparison of the entries at the shows of 1913 and 1919:-

Hunters … 66 – 57
Jumping … 27 – 26
Children’s Riding … 5 – 8
Driving … 17 – 6
Business Turnouts … 11 – 5
Shire and Cart Horses … 85 – 68
Cattle … 43 – 18
Sheep … 15 – 8
Pigs … 20 – 5
Field Roots … 19 – 13
Specimen Roots … 71 – 49
Shoeing … 6 – 6
Butter and Eggs … 20 – 16

The weather was fine, and there was good attendance of visitors… (The advertiser dedicates a page to listing all the winning entries across all classes)

Thankyou for the extracts to the Faringdon Advertiser and Vale of the White Horse Gazette – Adverts were taken from old North Berks Heralds and the Faringdon Advertiser.

In 2019 a large exhibition about an important Abingdon film from 1919 is taking place. Abingdon loves to celebrate its heritage every year in September as part of national Heritage Open Days. This year is a very special celebration of a very important piece of film… See https://www.abingdonheritage.org.uk/. One of the adverts in this piece also appears in the exhibition. I don’t think anybody will be able to find it.