One thing about buying a house or shop or restaurant in the centre of Abingdon is that you are likely one day or another to start getting interested in its history. At the Camino Restaurant + B&B for example…
In the attic there were “some receipts that are from around 1877… They mention shops from the town such as Cleavers Haberdashery, Parsons Tea Dealer, Lyfords Butchers, Abingdon Gas-Light and Coke Company and more. They are all made to a Mr James Faulkner, who it appears was a butcher and potato dealer.”
Mr Faulkner seemed to have like his stout.
This premises has been, in recent times, “a TV aerial shop, a butchers, Lamberts Restaurant, Il Camino Restaurant, Don Giovanni and now Camino Restaurant, The first floor was converted from a dining/function room to 4 B&B rooms in 2007.” The butcher’s rail was left behind and can still be seen above.
But going further back there is also well. It was “discovered under a heavy slap when they began changing it to a restaurant the first time.”
Thanks for these details from Ryan at the Camino Restaurant. On the days running up to Abingdon Heritage Open Day on 12th September I would be interested to receive any other such historical discoveries to use here.
'that discovered doing so can alter the acoustics of a room in such a way as to make some succeptible folk feel quite ill when in such a place.'
Must be one in my living room then. Whenever Alan Carr is on, I always feel queasy…
One can only imagine the evil they have now unleashed by unsealing the well. seriously though… fortean times did an interesting article a while back that discovered doing so can alter the acoustics of a room in such a way as to make some succeptible folk feel quite ill when in such a place.
I remember the restaurant as Lamberts when I first moved here. It was taken over by Toni and Sam who named it Il Camino (Italian for fireplace) before they sold it and moved to Reading a few years back to open a new restaurant there. An English guy briefly owned it but it was soon bought by Giorgio, the head waiter, and he re-named it Giovanni's.
He retired a few years back and it reverted to Camino's.
James Faulkner was my Great Grandfather and indeed a butcher . The shop was later run by my Grandfather and Great Aunt until I believe the 1950’s. My memories of sawdust on the floors and that raw meat smell with a chain smoking Grandfather stay with one even now many moons on…Tony Burrett
I worked as a hef here when it was Lambert’s restaurant, from when it opened till it was sold.
Good memories.