On Tuesday I had the pleasure of walking the length of Radley Road. The single bus fare from Radley Station to Abingdon is £2:10. It was not raining and so I saved the money and enjoyed an interesting walk.
Radley Road has the distinction of having the longest section of residential housing in Abingdon without house numbers. For most of the way along the left hand side houses don’t have numbers. Thay have names like… Francissi, Jolibe, Rottingdean, The Shambles, Upwey, The Red House …
Over the other side every house has a number. A few also have names but not a lot. Even the Radley Road Stores has a large ‘191 Radley Road’ sign above the door.
It has to be said that the side without numbers has a lot of green space, and schools. As a result the houses are well spaced out. Perhaps that is the reason they managed to avoid being numbered along with the rest of Abingdon.
It also has a number of schools, like Northcourt, four in fact, if you count Our Lady’s as one. Similarly, it has a number of fairly vicious road humps.
A very useful ‘Industrial Estate, with a vehicle bodyshop, a few garages, and even a Car Cleaning agency. (Hand Wash your Car), also a Taxi company if your car takes longer than anticipated to be serviced.
Used to have a Plant Nursery (which I do miss).
Col.
Thanks for the heads up on hand car wash col – hadn’t spotted that one and have been looking for one since tescos inexplicably stopped offering a wash while you shop service
Recently moved in there, used to share a site with Andy Glass, ( Audlett Drive units off the entry road to Waitrose)
They hand wash a car for about £5, but offer other services as well up to a full valet.
The lack of numbers is a real pain when you are trying to deliver letters. I do pity the relief postmen at Christmas time. I though it was a legal requirement to display a number. Can anyone confirm this?
and for ” though” read “thought” … I expect you did.
No – you do not have to have a number – you can have a name in the Post Office Address file. However, if you do have a number you must display it. It is then up to you whether you use the name as well.
As you know Angela – I am now the world’s expert on the Post Office Address File !!!
Iain, regarding hand car wash, I note that Tesco have lodged a planning application for “Change of use of nine parking spaces to a hand car wash and valeting operation including the erection of a canopy and installation of an office.”
Reference: P12/V0986/A
http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/java/support/Main.jsp?MODULE=ApplicationDetails&REF=P12/V0986/A
This started off being one of the more bizarre items to feature on this blog however the information I have aquired from the comments is amazing.
If this is the first in a series of walks along the major routes of Abingdon it may be worth obtaining the Town Council’s super new fold up map of Abingdon on Thames. This details not only the roads and significant public buildings, but also many of the footpaths and cycle routes through the estates and green spaces.
So that’s where the canopies from the precinct are going.
Thx Steve – doubly good to get a choice – having said that my car went phttt today so will need to get up and running again before going to radley road or tescos
Really, if your house has a number then by law you have to display it? I’m in a rented flat, one of 4 in a converted former house. The house number is not displayed anywhere on the property, and sometimes the postman delivers mail to the wrong address – ours somewhere else or someone else’s to us. Could I tell the landlord he had to display the number?
I am told there is a legal requirement to display your house number, but I don’t know if the responsibility lies with the owner or occupant of the property.
I could try and find out if you are interested.
It’s for emergency services as well as post!
I used to work in Radley Road Industrial Estate in 1986/87 bu tcan’t remember the name of the company. It used to manufacture parts for electric fires. Can anyone help?