A New Christmas Tree Arrives on Abingdon Market Place

7 Replies


One moment this fine fir tree was growing in a forest, and the next it’s been cut, hauled across the country on a lorry, and stood up in Abingdon-on-Thames Market Place.

By Saturday 15th November a fence had been placed around it, and a Palestinian flag was on display as part of a pro Palestinian protest. (Bethlehem, where the Christmas story begins, is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, and so the connection is not that far fetched.)

Today, the tree was surrounded by Monday Market stalls and their vans. On the stationary stall are notebooks and 2026 diaries. 2025 seems like the fastest year ever.

Three Brands in the same premises

1 Reply


Over the past year, three local businesses have been moving between premises. Mez House first joined Café Aroma in its High Street location; La Bag’tte moved into Mez House’s former premises; and more recently La Bag’tte has moved in with the other two.

Bringing three brands under one roof must reduce costs. It also means you can now pop in for coffee and a baguette during the day, and a Lebanese restaurant in the evening — all in the same premises.

Lasers Over Abingdon and Fireworks at Dalton Barracks

5 Replies


Laser lights from the Abingdon Bonfire & Fireworks 2025 at Dalton Barracks were visible behind Abingdon School.

The event included a large funfair and bonfire, a laser show set to music,

and a firework display — some of which I caught while cycling through Shippon.

Abingdon has marked Bonfire Night for centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries the town’s celebrations were simple, neighbourhood events: a bonfire to burn the guy on a patch of common ground to commemorate the failure of the Gunpowder Plot.

Today’s combination of lasers, music, and fireworks would have been unimaginable to our forebears. And what would they have made of holding the celebration ten days after 5th November? Firework displays have moved to weekend dates, with large organised displays, and complicated traffic-management plans.

Children in Need Supporters in Abingdon

1 Reply


I’ve lost track of the years this intrepid collector has been at his post at Coxeters in Abingdon, doing his bit for Children in Need. In the summer he’s there in his shorts, tanned like he’s just stepped off the plane from somewhere far more sunny. And when November brings rain, and ‘it’s horrible out there’ – like today, he is there to lift the spirits raising money for BBC’s Children in Need.

The Kings Head and Bell also have something lined up. They say: ‘Join us this Friday for our Children in Need Charity Night in support of a great cause. Enjoy an evening of entertainment with our live DJ, a raffle, and darts.’