Heritage Open Day returned better than ever this year. The Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames looked round the stalls on the Market Place. They included an information stall, food stalls similar to those seen at Local Excellence Markets, and a stall where the Abingdon Community Fridge made soup out of left over vegetables, aided by young families.
The Town Crier announced what was happening from the County Museum roof, and you can hear him still on the video above. There were also children’s activities in the museum.
There were not as many open properties because we are still in strange times. But those that were open had a lot happening. At St Ethelwold’s house the Abingdon Carbon Cutters were pressing and bottling apples. On the lawn people there enjoying the cakes and drinks in the sunshine. There were also 2 talks on the history of the house, rooms to look round, and an art exhibition.
Cakes were also available at the Abbey Buildings. The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers were on in the afternoon.
A monastery garden had been created by Heather and Oliver in the grounds of the Abbey Buildings, and Mike, in the video above, explains how the herbs could treat common complaints agues, bad humors, and cold stomachs.
Christ’s Hospital Hall was open thanks to the charity’s governors.
At St Nicolas Church, Elizabeth Drury had made a food related exhibition from many pictures of old farms, old shops etc.
There was a blue plate scheme showing food outlets from the past. Fabulous Flowers once sold groceries and provisions and they had a hanging pheasant in their floral display. They will be displaying flowers at the Chelsea Flower Show next week. (Possibly a separate post on that).
There was a lot going on at the Guildhall with films on a loop in the Roysse Room. In the Old Magistrates Court at 4 pm, W T Mellor, former head brewer at Morlands, told the audience about the history of beer, and then a history of brewing in Abingdon. Earlier in that room the new WWI Abingdon website was launched. The other old rooms were also open to look round. The Bear Room had old menus from big meals that happened there.
Well done to Hester and the rest of the fantastic team for a great day. More tomorrow with walks, and some open properties.
The brewing talk was wonderful but – no distance at all between the seats (the photograph is after some people had left), no ventilation, and at least 25% of the people weren’t wearing masks ( including one man who wore his on his chin the better to spread his germs when he was coughing). And I know this makes me sound like a miserable person but surely we still need to think about Covid protection and do as much as we can to avoid infecting ourselves and others?