Some time back Abingdon School dropped the School on their school signs.
Their website, abingdon.org.uk , says things like … Abingdon is a leading independent day and boarding school with 885 boys…
Also what was Coventry Building Society, as seen on the photo fronting the County Hall,
is now The Coventry.
School and Building Society have gone for boldness in their brand name. In both cases I prefer the old name.
The official name change from Abingdon to Abingdon-on-Thames was voted through on Thursday. The Town Council have started to update their front page details on abingdon.gov.uk to say things like ‘Welcome to Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council … and Abingdon-on-Thames Visitor Community Information Centre …‘
In my heart, despite the official name change, I just want to keep saying Abingdon not Abingdon-on-Thames here on this blog. That may change as I get used to the new name, but I suspect I will always prefer the name Abingdon to Abingdon-on-Thames and could not give a good reason.
You’re right to use #Abingdon mate see especially on The Twitter, when limited to 140 characters. Name change pointless unless accompanied by other meaningful action for Abingdon by the Thames.
I don’t know why so many people are getting their knickers in a twist over the town name change. It might do a bit for the town’s image so what is the problem. Cost will be peanuts anyway. As to using the “on Thames” in regular speech & word, well who actually ever says “Henley on Thames” ? be chill and go sit by the river :O)
Perhaps it caters more for increasing numbers of Hoi Polloi who are ‘geographically-challenged’. In how many films do you now see captions with the like of “Paris, France” or “London,England” ??
Twitter ? While contemplating modern ‘meeja’ in the bath, I do wonder how best to decline the third person, singular, past tense of the verb “to twitter”, without giving offense.
Amongst other things, Sir James Cobban urged his pupils to avoid ambiguity. Shouldn’t that “Abingdon – Main Entrance” sign replace the Brown “Millets” sign on the A34 slip road ?
Here here Pete
Well you wouldn’t like it because you’re a LibDem Alistair! It would be odd if you suddenly started supporting it!
Having lived here over 50 years, as far as I’m concerned it has always been Abingdon on Thames, hence the old signs that say this. What people choose to say is up to them, but it can only improve Abingdon’s image.
Dropping ‘School’ from ‘Abingdon School’ was no doubt an upscale marketing move. The target market now includes those weighing the attractions of other schools known by one-word titles, such as Stowe, Winchester, Sherborne, Radley, with Eton, & Harrow, leading the pack. But these establishments, while themselves also using the abbreviation informally, have not (yet) dropped School, or College, from their official titles.
I lived in Abingdon from 1948 until 1963 when I left to go to university. Although it is now a very long time since I lived in Abingdon, I always think of it as Abingdon-on-Thames. I am pleased that the Council have agreed to reinstate the full name and wonder how and why it ever changed?
…my partner’s been going on about how Abingdon used to be in Berkshire.
Perhaps now the name has been reinstated regarding the river, the boundary will be reconsidered too. I think that would make his millennium!
Given the plans (?) for the precinct I think the naming might be a bit premature. The development there is going to include a huge supermarket area isn’t it? Maybe it should be Tesco-Upon-Abingdon?
Alanis: first you might spell Alastair’s name correctly please. Secondly, Alastair has taken no part in discussions about the name change to my knowledge and as he is no longer a councillor, he has not taken part in private discussions about same amongst the Lib Dem councillors.
I agree with Pete’s comments. What a fuss people are making about this.
bit cheeky of a school to pich the abingdon.org address – especially as traditionally the .org are used for non profit organisations – and yes i know schools are nominally charities but it’s funny how it’s the kids of the ‘ donors ‘ who benefit.
Th .org may seem an odd choice but Cheltenham Ladies College for example uses it, they could have gone for .sch.uk as my old “charitable” (ahem) school did, or maybe .edu or .ac but these tend to be used for higher education. I would expect that they have also bought the alternative addresses simply to prevent them being camped on.
Abingdon town has NEVER been called Abingdon-on-Thames.
The old Borough Council was called Abingdon-on-Thames when it was part of Berkshire but the town itself has always been Abingdon.
Personally I am quite happy for people to call the town Abingdon-on-Thames but i do think there should have been consultation with all resisents first and I am not convinced it is worth the cost and hassle of going through a formal name change process.
Can’t see there being much cost or hassle here really. Of course there would be if everything was redesigned and changed immediately, but I haven’t heard anyone in authority say this.
Everyone I’ve spoken to seems to be tending towards changing things as and when they need replacing – ie doing what most of us would do if it were our money.
Overall I think this is a helpful change, that will hopefully nudge tourism in the right direction and a good way of signalling that Abingdon is changing to recapture some of its former glories, but I don’t see this as being something which will either change tge world or cost a fortune.
I still support Pete’s earlier view that we need to keep perspective on this.
KatP is incorrect. We were the Borough of Abingdon-on-Thames until local government reorganisation stole us from Berkshire and downgraded to the town of Abingdon.
Our mortgage was with the Borough of Abingdon-on-Thames and all the legal documentation states this.
I only recently learned that Eton is a place and not just a school. I think a casual abbreviation isn’t suitable for an official name. ‘The Coventry’ irritates me. You wouldn’t necessarily know that they are a building society.