Abingdon Lights Up for Christmas

4 Replies


Traders and community groups welcomed shoppers and visitors to Abingdon’s annual Christmas Extravaganza, which brought together entertainment, a parade, a market, and the Christmas lights switch-on.

The day began wet — a good excuse to visit somewhere indoors, such as the St Helen’s Christmas Fair, also taking place during the morning.

Or the Preloved clothes sale in the Guildhall, thanks to One-Planet Abingdon.

By the time the parade was ready to set off at 12 noon the rain had stopped. (These are members of Abingdon Drama Club who will be performing The Snow Queen in January.)

The parade was led by the Oxford Caledonian Pipers, followed by Amanda Alder’s Dance Academy; Guides and Brownies; the cast of Beauty and the Beast from the Cornerstone in Didcot;

the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers;

Abingdon Town Council;

Abingdon Music Centre;

and finally Father Christmas, brought to us by the Abingdon Lions. He had a grotto outside Poundland for the rest of the day.

The parade route was closed for about twenty minutes, and the parade participants ended up in the carpark behind Bury Street where I took this picture of members of the Beauty and the Beast cast with the Mayor and Town Councillors.

Bath Street was closed for the craft market, with performances running there throughout the day, as well as on the Market Place.

The final act on the Market Place was Courtney Reddy performing as Avril Lavigne.

Then Duncan Brown led the traditional countdown from 10 to 0, the Mayor pressed the red button, and the Christmas lights came on instantly.

There was a prize for the most festive market stall. There was no prize for the most festive shop front but plenty of good competition. This is Fabulous Flowers.

The Extravaganza was organised by the Abingdon Events Partnership with sponsorship from lots of local businesses including the Bury Street precinct, Fairacres Retail Park, Missing Bean cafe and Wenn Townsend accountants.

Here is a video of the Parade and the Oxford Caledonian Pipe Band:

Here are the lights being switched on:

Abingdon Community Heroes

2 Replies


A Christmas tree has appeared under the County Hall Museum, decorated with a large QR code. Scanning it takes you to the Abingdon Community Heroes — a project run by The Abingdon Bridge that celebrates people nominated for their kindness, resilience, and dedication to making Abingdon a better place.

Those featured include Beth, Sienna, Nial, Donte, Matty, Ben, Philip, Rawda, Paul, and Darren. Some are young people who first came to The Abingdon Bridge for support and have since grown into leaders and mentors for others. Others work across the community: a member of staff at Oxfordshire Mind, the manager of the Foodbank at Christ Church, the Mayor of Abingdon, the chair of Abingdon Town Amateur Boxing Club (who has raised significant funds for The Abingdon Bridge over several years), and the founder of Wandering Minds, a peer-support group for adults with ADHD.

The Abingdon Bridge is a youth-wellbeing charity supporting young people aged 13–25. Their offices are in the old police station and in the building behind the County Hall, above the Coventry Building Society.

Gas Main Upgrade to Bring Two-Week Parking Rest on Wilsham Road

1 Reply


Some people have been puzzled by the traffic cones blocking off a stretch of Wilsham Road that’s usually used for free parking by people walking into town. One motorist asked me today what was happening, especially as the cones have been there for two or three weeks with no sign of work.

The answer is on the windscreens of a few cars that haven’t moved since the weekend. Notices say that essential gas works will take place from 1st to 14th December, and there will be no parking on Wilsham Road between Preston Road and Caldecott Road during that time.

These works are part of SGN’s ongoing programme to replace aging metal gas mains in Abingdon, something I first covered here in 2023. The old pipes are being replaced by plastic ones expected to last around 80 years. Presumably the new pipes will also allow the transition from natural gas to hydrogen, a project SGN are trying out in Fife, Scotland.

Abingdon 100 Years Ago – November 1925

2 Replies


Abingdon elected four councillors

Abingdon elected four councillors on Monday, with 2,074 of the 3,066 electorate turning out. During the day a sandwich man and a perambulator toured the town urging voters to choose ‘the straightest, the truest, the best,’ while in the evening children’s bands marched through the streets, their competing shouts sparking jeers and counter-jeers from other bands.

After the polls closed, counting took place in the Roysse Room supervised by the Mayor, Councillor J. D. Godfrey. A large crowd gathered outside the Council Chamber, and the Mayor announced the results from the window: A. E. Tombs (854), A. B. Woodley (803), H. P. Simpson (773), and D. E. Trotman (722) were returned, ahead of W. Cordell, R. V. Hall, Mrs E. C. Reynolds, Miss M. Etty, and Miss M. Layng.

The count was greeted with enthusiasm, and each candidate received cheers when they stepped to the window . Tombs spoke of his pride as an Abingdonian and stressed his commitment to housing, while Woodley reflected on the support he had received from young people, pledging to continue working for better recreation and housing for them.


Plastigrams
Plastigrams, described as the screen’s greatest novelty, is coming to the Kinema next Monday for a six-day run. This remarkable film, viewed through red and green spectacles, become fully stereoscopic, making figures and objects seem to leap out of the screen to within an inch of the spectator.

Alongside Plastigrams, the first half of the week will feature The Daughter of Love, starring Violet Hopson – a British drama . In the latter half of the week will show Tom Mix’s action film The Deadwood Coach, full of Mix’s trademark stunts. The biblical epic The Moon of Israel will return by popular demand, with showings on Friday and Saturday.


Armistice Day in Abingdon

On Wednesday, Armistice Day was marked in Abingdon with the national two minutes’ silence in memory of those who died in the Great War. Crowds gathered at the War Memorial well before the service, with the area kept clear by the Abingdon School Cadet Corps and the O.T.C. under Captain J. H. Reynolds. The Mayor, Corporation, and many local organisations formed a procession near the Guildhall.

At 10.45 a.m., Mr. G. Stacey rang the bell at St Helen’s Church 227 times, once for each Abingdon man lost in the war. The large procession, led by the Mayor, reached the memorial, where the hymn “O God, our help in ages past” was sung. The service was conducted by the Rev. E. Dando, with prayers from K. E. Stilwell and Mr. Chappell, and a lesson read by Dr. Oldfield.

The Last Post was sounded, followed immediately by the Pavlova Works hooter signalling the start of the Great Silence at 11 a.m. Afterward, Reveille was played by Bugler Webb of the Wantage Contingent, 4th Battalion Royal Berks Regiment. Children from the elementary schools sang Sir Esme Howard’s setting of John of Gaunt’s speech from Richard II.

The Rev. W. Greener offered prayers of thanksgiving, and the hymn “Praise ye the King of Heaven” was sung, followed by the first verse of the National Anthem. The Mayor laid a wreath on behalf of the Corporation, joined by wreaths from school groups, the Girl Guides, and local organisations including the Pride of Abingdon Lodge.

Spaces around the memorial were reserved for schoolchildren and relatives of the fallen. The full Abingdon Platoon of the 4th Royal Berks Regiment under Sergt.-Instructor Eyre and the Girl Guides under Mrs. R. C. Wicks were also present.

Poppy Day

This year saw the first-ever sale of Flanders poppies in Abingdon, supporting Earl Haig’s British Legion Appeal for ex-Service men. After a broadcast address by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales on Tuesday evening, a strong response was expected. By early Wednesday morning, poppy sellers were at work, and many people gathering near the War Memorial were already wearing their poppies.

Humorists of Methodism

On Thursday next, Rev. S. Horton (former President of Conference and author of the Wentworth Stories) will visit the Primitive Methodist Church in Abingdon and will preach at the 3.30 p.m. afternoon service. A public tea will be followed by a lecture at 6.30 p.m. entitled “Humorists of Methodism.”

The Mayor of Abingdon

Councillor J. D. Godfrey was re-elected Mayor of Abingdon at the statutory meeting of the Borough Council on Monday, on the proposition of Alderman A. E. Preston, seconded by Alderman J. E. Cottrell. Councillor Claude Rippon was again chosen as Deputy.

The Abingdon Bus View of Oxford and the effect of Coal Smoke

A striking view of Oxford can be seen from the upper deck of the Abingdon bus as it leaves Bagley Wood and descends the slopes of Boars Hill. From this point the towers and spires of Oxford suddenly appear, with the dome of the Radcliffe Camera at the centre and Magdalen Tower standing apart.

Yet this fine prospect is usually marred by smoke, which is increasingly damaging Oxford’s buildings, just as it has already harmed much of London’s architecture. Domestic coal fires now produce smoke more harmful than factory chimneys. How long people will continue burning crude coal when its effects are so destructive to the city?

School Attendance Case at the County Bench

At the County Bench on Monday, before Mr. E. H. Green and Miss M. P. K. Etty, a case of school non-attendance was heard involving Samuel Taylor of the Wheatsheaf, Drayton. Taylor was summoned by the Berkshire Education Committee for failing to send his son to school on 12th October.

According to the school attendance officer, Mrs. Taylor stated that the boy was fourteen and that she could not send him to school. The Bench imposed a fine of 5 shillings, ordering that the boy must continue attending school until the end of the term.

Arts and Crafts Demonstration

An arts and crafts demonstration featuring an expert from London will be held next week at Messrs. Leach’s shop on Bath Street, Abingdon. The free event will show how to make a variety of items using crepe paper and sealing-wax, including costumes, lamp-shades, flowers, hats, and table decorations. It runs daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an additional session on Thursday from 2–4 p.m. in Royce’s Room. With Christmas approaching, it’s expected to be popular among local residents.

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to the British Newspaper Archive for the article from the Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette (06 November 1925) about the Abingdon Bus, and the Faringdon Advertiser and Vale of the White Horse Gazette (school attendance case). Thanks also to the British Newspaper Archive for the Oxford Journal, which provided the photographs of elected councillors, the Mayor, and Armistice Day in Abingdon. Thanks to the Daily Mirror for the Cherry Blossom / Poppy advert.

Also thanks to the North Berks Herald Library microfilm for the stories covering the election, Armistice Day, Poppy Day, Plastigrams, the crepe paper demonstration, and Methodist humour. The Plastigrams advert came from Ebay.