I saw in a 1950s Who’s Who of Abingdon that inhabitants of our town were once known as Abendonians.
Here is a 1950s picture of Richard, now aged 65, beside the fountain in Roysse’s Court that was destroyed in 2015. What a shame!
In the 1950s a shoe-fitting x-ray unit was a common shoe store device, and people were encouraged to go every 2 or 3 years to the mass X Ray vans that came to town to check for TB.
Trinity Church had Chapel, Society and Poor Stewards. As I understand it chapel stewards helped look after the fabric of the building, society stewards looked after running church meetings and the needs of church members, and poor stewards helped look after the poor.
Somebody was telling me on Saturday of that same decade, and how they sipped Morland’s lemonade by the River at the Old Anchor Inn. They didn’t very much like the lemonade because it was too fizzy, but they did like watching the House Martins that nested under the eaves.
I thought they were from Hull.
Your 3 pictures today brought back memories. Growing up in Abingdon, my feet were regularly examined via the X-ray machine in Bailey’s to ensure each new pair of shoes were the correct fit and allowed room for growth.
From the listing of Maurice Jelbert as the Minister at Trinity, I suspect that the Who’s Who (published by the Abbey Press run, I think by Fred Leach) is a late 1950’s edition. The names of all the Stewards are very familiar. Andy Niven owned the ironmongers at the end of Bath Street, opposite the junction with (old) Bury Street. Mr Beaumont had a café either immediately to the left of Braggs or one shop further on, which was slightly below the pavement level and one of his daughters was the same age as me. The Trinity caretaker that I remember was Mr Bonnington who had a long-haired German Shepherd dog. It was rumoured that Mr Bonnington was related to the mountaineer, Chris.
In my day, the Sunday School attended the morning service and then after 20 minutes or so went out into the Church Hall. The Youth Fellowship was in the afternoon and usually in the Vestry. The well-attended Youth Club was on Saturday evening and my friends and I went every week.
My late parents bought the Abingdon Who’s Who every year and it is possible that I still have a copy or two among the books and papers my brother David and I cleared from their house.
Thank you for bringing back these memories. Please show more material from the late 50’s early 60’s if you have any.
Iin the 1950s “Abingdon’s Who’s Who & Directory” was printed & published by John (Jack) Hooke’s Abbey Press. It had been a Hooke family publication since the 1870s, with the title for much of the time as “Hooke’s Abingdon Almanac & Directory”. By the 1970s it had become a joint publication with Abingdon Town Council, and soon was no longer an annual, but a biennial, publication.
Morland Abbey Cola. The best Cola ever
Thanks for the correction, Abingdonian. At least I got Abbey Press right.
I left Abingdon in 1963, returning only for regular visits to my parents, now deceased, so please forgive me if some details are a little hazy.
I echo my brother’s comments about Trinity, as a younger brother my memories are a bit later.
I wanted to add something about the sadly departed Morland’s brewery & lemonade. I worked there as a student in the late 1960’s. I agree the flavour was not top notch and the bitter I thought so-so but put the two together and it was a most agreeable shandy. ( I have progressed to stronger stuff in later life!)