When one door closes, another door opens.
Abingdon town centre will be loosing the presence of Abingdon Music Centre as their lease at the Magistrate’s Court comes to an end. The Music Centre began life in the Old Gaol in 1975 and moved to The Old Magistrates Court in 2002 when The Old Gaol closed for development. The Magistrate’s Court is part of the Guildhall owned by Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council which the town council now needs for their own use.
Abingdon Music Centre have announced a new partnership with Larkmead School, and will be moving to premises at Larkmead School from September 2017.
It’s a great shame they are moving, somehow the sound of music quietly coming from deep within the old stonework added to the ambience of that location.
Spelling correction: you mean ‘losing’, not ‘loosing’. (It’s the ‘oo’ sound that confuses people. the way to remember the spelling is to connect it to the verb: e.g. ‘I have lost it’ – one ‘o’.) Apologies for the pedantry – I was an English teacher for many years….
Good for Larkmead School – we need to support music making for the health of one and all.
I haven’t yet seen what the Town Council plan to do with the Old Magistrates Court but I hope they involve maintaining public access. It is one of the Town’s oldest buildings – 12th century I think – and was originally a lay hospital run by the Benedictine monks from the Abbey. It’s use by the Music Centre has meant that generations of Abingdonians have had access to it and it is always a great attraction when opened to the public at Heritage Weekend.
I do not think the music centre is the only group to use it, are they?
I think so David – but they cover a big range of activities these days – Community Choir, Community Orchestra etc – things for all ages as well as their traditional children’s activities.
My understanding is that the council want to use the historic rooms as storage for the museum.
The music school’s relocation to Larkmead will, I am sure, be good for both the music school and for Larkmead’s students, but the current Town Council clearly has a very strange view on what oublic use means. Another closed room to add to the collection!
Ah, Iain, it’s so frustrating, isn’t it, to be kept in the dark when you know that the TC is doing yet more foolish things …
I’m very glad Larkmead has come to the rescue but very angry that he Music Cente has been turfed out of the Magistrates Court. It’s central location was perfect for something so widely used by such a broad range of the community. Some of us fought hard to prevent it happening but were over-ruled.
Surely there must be a large public hall close to the ancient Guildhall that could be used to store museum artifacts, and be used by the Music centre?
How about the The Four Pillars…..? Plenty of car parking, plenty of interior space for storage and music rooms. Ideal!
I thought the local Freemasons’ Lodge met in the old magistrates’ court as well?
Hi David
The Music School’s old lease gave them sole usage of the magistrates court. The freemasons hired rooms in the guildhall itself for their meetings, and since the council closed the guildhall i asume they are meeting somewhere else.
There’s a lot of closure but not much opening. While we continue to moan about paying tax, and trying to reduce taxation, the situation will continue.
Taxation is the price we have to pay for a decent society.
I note the weeds have been removed from the gutters and pavements along Preston Road, must be an election looming ?
The sad thing about this is that people who use the music school and the parents of the students, use the shops and other businesses in the town centre. This is just another nail in the coffin for Abingdon. As a retailer in the town centre I am disgusted at the mess made with the guild hall and feel that the whole town council should stand down.