A few days remain until the Lloyds Bank in Ock Street will close.
Lloyds will remove the ATM, night safe, and other bank equipment. The business part of the building at the front will become smaller and may suit a start-up. The rest of the building will become 8 one-bedroom flats. The flat roof extension at the back of the building will be knocked down and rebuilt bigger. The front of the building will stay mostly the same (Grade II Listed).
A surge in England flags came in the days between semi-final and final
Sunday’s newspapers had a wrap-around advert with a patriotic twist. A ‘T’ was designed to resemble the England flag. It said, ‘Every Fan Helps’. Tesco Express closed at 7:30pm so more fans could watch the match. The Co-op did the same.
Following England’s Euro Cup final loss, Monday’s headlines were: ‘Next Time, Boys’, ‘Shattered’, and ‘You did us proud’. The dramatic Trump assassination attempt in the US was mostly on the inside pages.
Elsewhere, thoughts turned to the summer holidays.
Caldecott Rec. was busy on Saturday as coaches celebrated last season’s successes by awarding trophies and describing the development of their young players. While no local lads made it into the England team this time, they can dream!
From Saturday 6th July to Sunday 29th September, Abingdon County Hall Museum will take you back to the Iron Age!
Before the Romans, from around 50 BC to 50 AD, where the centre of Abingdon is now, there was a protected settlement called an ‘Oppidum‘ (Latin for Town). Iron Age Oppidum towns could be surrounded by ditches for fortification. When people were excavating near the old station and near West St Helen Street, they found what they thought were Oppidum-style ditches.
Before developing the Ashville Trading Estate in Abingdon, archaeologists discovered an even older Iron Age settlement that pre-dated the Oppidum.
At the exhibitions are information boards to explain:
* Iron Age
* Iron Age Abingdon before the Oppidum
* Abingdon’s ‘Oppidum’
* Iron Age Coins
* Weapons and a sword found in the Thames
* Jewellery, skin decoration, and clothes
* Pottery
* Food
* Rituals and burials
There’s also a video about recent discoveries near Wittenham Clumps where iron slag and iron offcuts could be evidence of an Iron Age blacksmith.
‘My Heart in Thine’ is a concert of British secular and sacred choral music at St Helen’s Church on Saturday, 13th July.
England are just one game away from European glory. In the semi-final, Phil Foden was on fire. The final against Spain will be shown at the Abbey Cinema and on smaller screens throughout Abingdon at 8 pm.
‘Hey, Nonny’, and other Shakespeare-inspired music will start at 5 pm, not 8 pm as originally planned, to avoid a clash.
After the Shakespeare-inspired music, music lovers can see The Bookshop Band perform at St Nicolas Church, Abingdon, on Wednesday, 17th July. Their music takes inspiration from books like Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Testaments’, Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’, and Philip Pullman’s ‘The Book of Dust.’
On Saturday, 20th July, local charity Against Breast Cancer is hosting the Splash Of Pink community fundraising event from 10 am to 3:30 pm in Abingdon Market Square. The event will feature stalls, acts, and live music to raise awareness and funds for research into secondary spread breast cancer. Shops are encouraged to participate by decorating their windows in pink, with the best display winning the Splash Of Pink trophy.
Art enthusiasts will find a free exhibition from local artists Joanne Sonnier and Emma Williams. Held in the garden at St Ethelwold’s from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, 20th, and Sunday, 21st July, the exhibition will showcase their artwork inspired by the beauty of St Ethelwold’s.
P.S. On Friday 19th July, the Swan Upping comes to Abingdon. Approximate timings are at https://www.royalswan.co.uk/