Tuesday was the second evening of the fair.
There was not quite the crush of some years, but still a lot of people about. The mild rain-free evenings help to bring in the crowds.
Rides like Booster (pictured), and the high swings at the end of Ock Street, meant this was not only the longest street fair,
but also one of the tallest. Air traffic control could well have been notified.
I did not notice any trouble, apart from the occasional person being sick after have been spun about too fast.
Fairground music is still reverberating from the centre of town to the outer limits. Within an hour or so all will become quiet, and by the time people set off for work tomorrow morning there will be no sign that the fair was ever there.
We had a great time. The weather definitely helped.
All the fun of the fair? I don’t think so, according to the vales planning application register there is a planning application submitted for the old M G sheds in Colwell Drive (currently Howdens and the engineering comp etc) to be developed into 93 dwellings ! Surely enough is enough, our poor old town is already bursting at the seems with an infrastructure that apart from Abits hasn’t changed for 40 years !
Surely what was B block and is part of the remains of the MG factory should be listed.
An ideal building in which to house an MG museum, something which tourist visitors to the town are amazed doesn’t exist (obviously there is the exhibit in the county hall).
Alternatively reworked the existing building could be a Cinema.
Separate subject to the thread, but I just want to share the images of two people to be very aware of:
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/14795165.SCHOOLGIRL_ABDUCTION__Do_you_know_these_men_/?ref=mr&lp=2
but still, look on the bright side…
…is there one? Still if these buildings are knocked down we could have the strapline on the towns signs saying Abingdon-on-Thames – Demolishing local landmarks since 1091
DON’T mention the cinema…..
I thought there was an MG museum at the bottom of Cemetery Road (or is that the enthusiasts’ club?).
You are kind of right in that it’s the offices of the MG Car Club, it’s not quite at the end of Cemetery Road, the building that stands there was the old factory office block, fairly recently it was converted to flats and despite much protestation was covered in wooden cladding but at least it wasn’t demolished.
…it’s quite scary captain; don’t forget the 80 houses to be built off of Abingdon Road in Steventon – that will pour in to Abingdon along the Drayton Road no doubt, and also 57 more houses just opposite that – also headed for Abingdon I’d assume…
But, as I said…the bright side. Let’s all stare gormlessly at it…
Is there no one out there able to scrutinise the Planning applications? I am happy to help!?
I wonder captain, no mention of it in the current transport plan for the 93 homes, but I wonder if they’ll opt to put in traffic lights on Colwell Drive – like on the Drayton Road?
I do hope the facilities of the nearby town can cope with all these extra houses….Shops?, cinema?….its ok, I think DIdcot can cope.
Yes indeed Daniel, (you forgot to mention the application for housing adjacent to gravel lane Drayton too) the travesty in all of this is the example of Moreland Garden, the residents didn’t want it, people of Abingdon didn’t want it, our Town councilors didn’t want it, ditto the district and county councilors didn’t want it, even our M P was very vocal about her opinion of it, but all of those people, the bedrock of community democracy were over-ruled by one person, namely Nimmo Smith who doesn’t even represent anyone here!
So what next? Objections? Protests? March’s and petitions? All a waste of time and energy as Mr N-S proved, best the good people of Abingdon work with the developer to get the most out of them ?
Well one never knows. Russia had moved nuclear-capable missiles near to the Polish border as tensions escalate between the world’s largest nation and the West. Also Putin has told officials to return to Russia and bring all their relations with them. I shall have to read the literature that PPIS mentioned in his post where one has to shelter under a table. Perhaps a stray missile will blow Morland Gardens to smithereens. There is also some interesting advice as to stock up on Cat litter as one cannot go outside the house for 14 days.
Janet – Should that happen I think what happens to Morland Gardens would be the least of our worries. In the late 80’s I worked with a retired ex-Sandhurst regimental RSM and he said that the best place to be would be the gates of Greenham Common to get as close to the blast as possible, initial survival would be a lingering and horrible affair followed by the inevitable anyway.
Hold on…I though Brexit was supposed to bring about the end of the known world… Now I’m confused….
Daniel – No, that was just our own little world, Janet means the end of civilisation.
Seems to me messers Blair and Cameron have bought us to the brink? Outrageous how one ( or two in this instance) insatiable ego’s can have such a disastrous affect on the rest of us?
When you think about what has the west gained for all its spent millions and lost lives in the Middle East ? Nothing ! We’ve meddled, interfered and generally destabilised all of the Middle East and North Africa, created and encouraged exodus on a biblicle scale and for what?
To return to Alastair’s original post, the fair seemed very successful this year. One of the many good things we can be positive about living in Abingdon.
…and soon there’ll be so many more residents to come to it Iain!
I enjoyed the fair very much this year, not least because I got lucky with my first ticket on the one where you have to get 21 and therefore my daughter came home with a soft toy bigger than her. It was a good year, a good crowd and the weather was kind. Thanks for posting the photos. mx
Breaking news… There is not in fact a ‘man in the moon’.
That’s about as off topic at it gets… So hopefully people can stop going off topic.. It makes for a boring rewd you know? I wonder if any of you ‘regulars’ go back and read some of your posts and see how repetitive you all are! The same old stuff was said last year, and the same willcbe said on here in years to come…
As I’ve said before, get out and enjoy life, if you can’t do that, get out and do something about your quarrel with ‘the veil’, rather than spoiling a positive and lighthearted post from backstreeter
Scott… Out
Yes Scott..let’s all just put up and shut up, hey?
Julian Annells
That’s not what I said.
Scott, I value the opinions of others. The trouble with Abingdonions in the past is that no one talked about issues and only wanted to portray a sort of rose tinted glasses view of Abingdon. Issues that effected people were not talked about. Backstreeters blog is excellent and residents should be allowed to express their opinions.
We are an ever growing society. Towns all over the UK are having to expand to cope…not just Abingdon. I wish certain regular visitors to this site would just get off their computer and go out! So fed up of all the moaning about more houses. They are clearly needed even if the infrastructure of a town isn’t ready. If you don’t like it, leave and be someone else’s problem.
…I regularly re-read my posts. They are mostly very funny.
Scott, if you re-read your post, you’ll find a few typo’s…that’s quite funny?
DM, if the infrastructure isn’t sorted before these extra houses, you can bet your bottom dollar that it won’t get done afterwards? Affordable housing may be needed…but not one’s that first time buyers cannot possibly afford? How does that help the situation?
How come Oxford can refuse extra housing…and it gets “accepted on our behalf”?
Well said Scott. I don’t understand why most of the comments on this blog are unrelated to the original posts. It is good for people to discuss current issues, but a shame that people hijack somebody’s blog to do that. Maybe one of the regular contributors to the off subject discussions could consider setting up a blog or facebook page of their own? I would follow that too!
Totally agree with Scott and moony. And no, Daniel, they’re not funny, just repetitive and unrelated to the original post. I now just scroll through. If the post is about traffic, housing or whatever, then post about it. I feel strongly about these issues, but don’t hijack posts.
And yes, the fair was great, as always.
I feel quite strongly that Scott, Moony and Kelly are wrong on this. Yes, it is an excellent blog, informative, thought provoking…and yes sometimes posts are “hijacked”, to talk about other issues…but is that such a bad thing?? Abingdon NEEDS a forum where up to the minute problems can be discussed…and I for one like to see these issues being raised and talked about! Yes, some of it is repetitive…but that is because the problem is still there…it won’t just go away because you choose to ignore it! And maybe…just maybe…if enough people find out about something, and it gets picked up on, then sometimes some good comes out of it…such as the Freedom of information requests about the Old Gaol debacle. Do you think that would have come about if it hadn’t been talked about on here first?
And when all is said and done, Backstreeter, could, if he wanted to keep things on topic, delete comments. I am grateful that he allows this forum for any discussion… whether on topic or not. How else would we rant and rave about local issues? Oxford Mail…?? Don’t make me laugh…most comments are either deleted, or comments not allowed!
I applaud Alistair, for allowing people to have their say on OUR town…whether you like it or not!
Kelly, if you didn’t just scroll through you’d see that actually, they are quite funny.
The flowers the flowers , no one has mentioned the flowers
…Kelly, don’t read this…
Unfortunately Mary, since the council pulled them all up…. they simply haven’t looked lovely.
Not going to be sucked in to a pointless argument.
The fair was still brilliant. Oops, am I being repetitive?
No argument here….the fair was great. Still, lots to sort in town though. Thankfully this week’s Herald shows that the TC is on to it.
Phew!