Abingdon is blessed in having so many good local historians who write about the town. “Abingdon – Past & Present” by Elizabeth Dury and Judith Thomas – shows, side-by-side, the same scenes in old Abingdon and in new Abingdon.

To emulate the book, in my rather slap-dash way, I took this photograph on a lay-by outside Abingdon, going towards Drayton, of a fairly old road sign. It cannot be that old though because Abingdon has only been in Oxfordshire since 1974. But it got the sepia effect.

Next, I crossed over the road, and took this picture in the Abingdon-bound lay-by opposite. The fines have gone up.

Close by people have been filmed and prosecuted for fly tipping. In this case the fines can get quite hefty.

Joseph Tomkins built Twickenham House in 1756, and this year the building celebrates its 250 Anniversary. The main house, at 20 East St Helens Street, is a fine Georgian brick building of classical proportions.

At the side is where the carriages would have been driven and horses stabled.

The front door has classical columns and a pediment (that is the triangular top) with a moulded frieze.

The main entrance for cars is to the corporate car park from Turn Again Lane. They still have a croquet lawn behind the hedge in what would have been the stable area and back garden.

Twickenham House is currently the head office of a company called Harding & Yorke Ltd who specialise in Customer Relations.

Their web site has a virtual floor mapof Twickenham House with names and roles of people on each floor.

Located on Bridge Street, E & R GOFF is one of a number of newsagents in the town centre. Its main selling point is that it is open seven days a week, and is convenient for the river. Although floor space can get a little cramped and crowded.

As well as selling newspapers and sweets and a few groceries, lottery tickets and postcards, it has a photocopier, and sells fishing supplies and licences. The window display one side is aimed at children’s pocket money: toy cars, water pistols, and jewellery.

During the summer months it also has an ice cream and lollipop freezer, and a Slush Puppie crushed ice drinks machine outside on the pavement.

Curious that it has such a large and permanent advert for the Daily Mail. The Daily Mail is a national tabloid which runs the Ideal Home Exhibition and has done since 1908. It has regular articles on property prices. Todays headline is “Hundreds of Foreign Convicts to stay in UK.” The Mail do not take kindly to asylum seekers, or the European Union.

The musical Saints Alive was performed by singers, musicians, and actors from the churches in Abingdon tonight. The score was good, and well conducted by Ian Miles who does a lot of Concerts in this area. Most of the cast were not so used to performing.