The Financial Times Blog points out that the backdrop for The Key Note Speech, at this years Conservative Party Conference, by the Shadow Chancellor, was Abingdon.
The blogger begins… “What patch of Middle England did they chose? Well we can reveal that it is the fine Oxfordshire market town of Abingdon, home of Radiohead. Forget pebble-dash voters. Osborne placed himself firmly in the shires…..Labour will be delighted. It neatly fits into their attempt to define the Tory “North Oxfordshire set”“
But then somebody called John commented “Abingdon is south of the Thames (it used to be the county town of Berkshire) so it is hardly “north Oxfordshire” and was the home of the MG factory that made the iconic MGB, among others. It is now the home to some of the highest-technology workers in the world as Harwell and Culham (the home of the Joint European Torus) are both within walking distance (but for Harwell cycling is preferable) . So less the bucolic past that your anonymous minster would like your readers to believe, more the high-tech future.“
Well Put! But I’m not sure about South of The Thames. How does that work? Also anyone know where in Abingdon it is. The only building it looks like to me is St Helen and St Katherine School.
walking distance of Culham? No thanks.
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Thanks Pat. I should have looked at the bigger map. I just see our little bit of the River and it is South of us. And, if it is the same Pat, I got the picture of the mushrooms and will use it soon in an autumn one.
Sorry, but Abingdon is south of the Thames. The general course of the river is west to east and we are 'below', that is, termed south of the Thames.
I can't quite see how we are south of the Thames when it runs 'through' us and the majority of the town lies on the north side! Still, for argument's sake lets just saw we are 'on' the Thames – surely nobody can dispute that?
As for walking distances…Culham, perhaps – Harwell Campus??? Perhaps if you've got the best part of a day set aside to get there and back!