3,359 miles away from Abingdon


We are away on our summer holiday. As this is our thirtieth wedding anniversary we have travelled further than usual.

There have been reminders of Abingdon, 3,359 miles away.

Old Speckled Hen beer has reached Kingston, a Canadian city located on Lake Ontario. British loyalists retreated here from the independent United States of America during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). They helped defend Canada from USA attempts to expand the States northwards in the war that followed in 1812.

However Canadians have not taken to “Old Speckled Hen” as well as might be expected and three years on, from the inauguration of this pub, the beer, that originated in Abingdon is no longer available on draft, only in cans.

We will be back home in a few days, where A and J are holding the fort. Then a very busy week as Heritage Day is on 12th Sept, something I help organise, and there are events before and after. See abingdonheritage.co.uk. By the way if anybody has pictures of Victorian ancestors, who lived in Abingdon, please get them copied in the library where we are starting a collection.

10 thoughts on “3,359 miles away from Abingdon

  1. ppjs

    Just returned from Canada myself (French speaking: Montreal and Quebec). Didn’t see any Speckled Hen, but did taste some excellent beers from Canadian microbreweries.

    Congratulations on Pearl Wedding and hope you enjoyed your trip to Ontario.

    Reply
  2. Janet

    The Canadian landscape is spectacular. I see on the Drayton Road they have started cutting down the mature trees to make way for the hideous 3 story high houses. They call it Morland Gardens but there will not be much garden about it. More like concrete and car parking. It brought home how much of our green belt it disappearing. How much of our countryside will be left in future one asks.

    Reply
  3. Badger

    Nice to see evidence of the MG Octagon that far from Abingdon, a truly global brand, I wish both the cars and the beer were still made here.
    As said above congratulations on the wedding anniversary.

    Reply
  4. Michael

    We were in Brisbane, Australia a couple of years ago and I enjoyed a pint of Old Speckled Hen in a pub there. Strangely enough we also stumbled across a band playing in the arcade, called Out of Abingdon.

    Reply

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