Bowyer Road is off Boxhill Road which is off the Oxford Road, and is part of the Northcourt Ward where there is a town council By-Election today. Polling is at All Saints Church off Appleford Drive. The election is to replace Patricia Hobby. The candidates are…
Peter Jones – Conservative
Bobbie Nichols – Labour
Helen Pighills – Lib-Dem

I was canvassing some of Bowyer Road in the rain yesterday and got very wet, but it ended with a rainbow.

One lady remarked on opening her front door ‘What a beautiful rainbow.’

Bowyer Road is not named because it sometimes has a rainbow. Bowyer Road was named after the Bowyer family of Radley Hall – now Radley College. Sir George Bowyer is perhaps best known in Abingdon. He helped set up St Edmund’s Church. He supported the Sisters of Mercy when they first came to Abingdon to educate the children of the poor. Their work then led to the setting up of Our Ladies Convent and St Edmund’s School in what was a Catholic corner of Abingdon. Very near that area is Bowyer Road.

Also today the papal visit begins. There are no plans to visit Abingdon, but he may look out from Shepherd 1 and see the River winding its way through our town.