The Abingdon Traditional Craft Fair was held from Friday to Sunday at the picturesque medieval Abbey Buildings in Abingdon. The fair featured 68 stalls showcasing a wide array of handcrafted items by skilled artisans. The stalls were spread across the Abbey Buildings. There was a small area for refreshments, but food stalls no longer feature at the Fair.
The event was organised by the Abingdon Partnership group, which also manages the local excellence markets and the annual extravaganza. This year, the organisers introduced a new initiative to encourage advanced online bookings to better manage the flow of visitors.
From the ceramics of Emma Baldwin, who used to teach at Abingdon College, to marquetry pieces by Gabriella Blakey and wooden block prints by Art of Jaipur.
The fair provided an opportunity to talk with local artists and appreciate their work. There were more jewellery stalls than any other single artform, but lots of artwork, textiles, ceramics, candles, glasswork, photography, woodturning etc.. There were also demonstrations of pottery and weaving in the crypt.
Proceeds from the event’s entrance fees and stall rentals contribute to the upkeep of the medieval Abbey Buildings. The fair has done that since the 1970s and has been managed by different people and organisations over the years. The current organisers put a premium on craftworkers who are small producers with original quality designs.
Brilliant event with some lovely exhibits. Spent too much! I liked the fact that once you had a wristband you could return free at any time, except that meant I spent even more going back to buy the items I said I wasn’t going to! A really well run event.
as a kid i always knew christmas was on the way when the craft fair arrived.
Who or what is the Abingdon Partnership group? A Google search wasn’t that helpful for finding an answer🤷
Colin, the actual name is Abingdon Events Partnership https://www.abingdoneventspartnership.co.uk/
Thanks Hester – just a shame that their website still doesn’t actually explain who they are!
Not sure what your difficulty is. Their website explains exactly what they do as professionals organising both their own events within the local area and in partnership with local groups, councils and charities helping to facilitate their events, many of which wouldn’t otherwise happen or succeed. If you’re looking for precise details of personnel and management I suggest looking at Companies House records.
.
Hi Kelly, my “difficulty” is that:
– The about us page doesn’t actually say who they are
– There is no contact info and the icons for twitter, email, insta are all generic placeholders from the website template used
As someone who clearly has a vested interest in it maybe you could pass this feedback on to save me the trouble of writing them a letter using the information from companies house
Have no vested interest at all. Have just encountered them through fund raising events. The only contact I have for them is markets@abingdoneventspartnership.co.uk
The trees have grown so much that sadly they tend to hide the War Memorial. Back in the late 1800s the area was bare of trees, then the Memorial stood proud and was most easy to see.That’s how it should be now.
The trees have grown so much that sadly they tend to hide the War Memorial. Back in the late 1800s the area was bare of trees, then the Memorial stood proud and was most easy to see.That’s how it should be now.