Chris Macklow – the man in white – formed Abbey Brass over 34 years ago and has been its leader ever since. In that time, about 500 people, mostly children, have been taught to play. He recently stepped down from leading the Abbey Brass, but will continue playing for a local Oxford based swing band.
Trinity Church was full today for the funeral of Jean Jones. There were family and friends – including many dignitaries.
Jean had joined Trinity in 1949 and there were a lot of folk from Trinity there too – where she had been an elder for many years. A church elder is there to help and encourage others – something for which she had a great gift.
She is pictured above with her husband, John Jones, in 1967 when he was Mayor of Abingdon. He was one of Abingdon’s greats. He went on to lead the Vale of the White Horse District Council and became a freeman of the town. He was also a folk hero in our twin town Lucca – which he had entered as an allied soldier at the end of the war. His Italian involved adding a few Os and A’s to the end of English words, but beside him on visits was Jean the linguist – always a great support.
According to the Trash Disposal Timeline it was in, or around, AD 200 that the Romans set up the first refuse collection service – two men would walk along the street collecting rubbish and throwing it in a wagon.
That has culminated in the current age of over packaging where black bags containing everything from the remains of the Sunday lunch to polystyrene and crisp wrappers and grease from the chip pan are mixed together, and put out under cover of darkness in a black bag for collection some time the next day.
We mark the passing of an age with this picture of black bags on West St Helen Street … This will be the final time they are collected in this way.
Wheelie bins are the future.
For as long as I have known there has been a grand colonade of trees along Caldecott Road. Most are Lime trees but there were some Chestnut trees near the bottom – the last of which was felled a week or so. Young trees have been planted nearby to replace the others.
Nearby, on St Amand Drive this large conifer was probably already established when Caldecott House stood on this site – the home of Doctor Barnardo’s from 1945 to 1971. In 1972 the Barnado’s Home was demolished and the present estate built. The giant tree has recently turned brown and could also be facing the axe.