Mid-January in Abingdon: A Week of Talks, Music, Quizzes and Christian Unity

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We are halfway through January and more events can be seen on notice boards around Abingdon, including the following for the next week.

On 15th January, at Abingdon Baptist Church, Professor Richard Harding, Chair of the Oxfordshire branch of CPRE, will talk on light pollution and its negative impacts on wildlife (insects, bats, birds) and human enjoyment of starlit skies.

On 16th January, Dr Graham Twemlow, will be talking about a project, from  World War II that employed artists to document the country’s landscapes and architectural heritage. The talk will highlight the art works created within Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire by artists like John Piper, Walter Bayes, Barbara Jones, Stanley Anderson, and William Fairclough.

The same evening, The Rosellys, a five-piece band from Herefordshire known for their blend of country, folk, and roots music, will be playing at the Unicorn Theatre. See Music at the Unicorn

Cllr Gabby Barody, the Mayor of Abingdon of Thames would be delighted if you would join her at a Charity Quiz night on Saturday 18 January 2025 at the Crown & Thistle Hotel, Bridge Street, Abingdon. Doors open from 17.00, quiz 19.00 – 22.00. and tickets are £5.00 per person, plus booking fee.

Tickets are available in advance from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/abingdon-town-council/t-dvrgveg. All proceeds go to the Mayor’s chosen charities; Abingdon Volunteer Service and One Planet Abingdon. Teams can have up to 8 people. Any individuals and teams with fewer than 3 people can be assigned to a team on the night.

Next week is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with the theme: Serving Others in our Local Community. The Church in Abingdon has talks from Monday 20th to Friday 24th at 12 noon with refreshments at St Nicolas Church (by the Market Place). Each day local organisations will talk about their work. There may also be some prayers.
Monday: Serving the bereaved (AgeUK, Footprints, Local funeral director)
Tuesday: Serving those who have had to flee their home country (HOST Abingdon, International Welcome Café, St Ethelwold)
Wednesday: Serving homeless/abandoned children (Homes4Good)
Thursday: Serving the hungry (North and South Abingdon Foodbanks)
Friday: Serving the lonely (Open Doors, Archway, Age UK, St Ethelwold)

There is also the interchurch quiz on Friday evening.

(Last image generated by OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com and modified by Backstreeter.)

Restaurant Relocates and Expands

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A well known Lebanese Restaurant in Abingdon has relocated from Bath Street to 15 High Street, the location of a well known Coffee Bar in Abingdon.

The two businesses are now sharing the premises, with the restaurant occupying the space in the evenings, Monday to Saturday.

The move has seen the restaurant renamed ‘wine bar’, and offering more drinks alongside the restaurant menu. The new location provides a larger space for people to enjoy their Lebanese cuisine. Presumably they are also sharing the bill for running the place.

Coffee Bar Hours:

Monday – Saturday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday: 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Restaurant / Wine Bar Hours:

Monday – Saturday: 4:00 PM – 10:30 PM

“Atomics to Medieval Knights” Explores the Rich History of Fitzharris Manor Estate

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Abingdon Museum has created a fascinating new exhibition, “Atomics to Medieval Knights – a History of Fitzharris Manor Estate,” which opened on Saturday, 11th January. This exhibition explores the history of Fitzharris Manor, tracing its evolution from its origins shortly after the Norman Conquest to its transformation into the Fitzharry’s Manor Estate.

Visitors can journey through time, from display board to display board, and through artifacts, exploring how the Manor changed hands and underwent architectural changes across centuries. The exhibition then shifts its focus to the mid-20th century, when the arrival of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) at Harwell changed Abingdon.

With the influx of scientists and engineers – nicknamed the “Atomics” – a new housing estate was built on the Fitzharris Manor site. The exhibition highlights the  planning and construction of this estate, and the cosmopolitan community that moved in. By 1959, Harwell staff and their families made up nearly a quarter of Abingdon’s population (counting this estate and the Appleford Drive area and beyond). They actively participated in local clubs, societies, and volunteer work.

The walled estate, with its green spaces, the River Stert, the Motte, and a nearby wood, provided an idyll setting for families. The exhibition explores estate life, including the AERE blue buses that transported residents to work at Harwell and the impact of the groundbreaking research conducted there, from projects like Zeta and Gleep & Bepo to the Nimrod accelerator.

Today, while fewer residents work at Harwell or Culham, the Fitzharry’s Manor Estate remains a peaceful residential area with green space and an enduring history. Much of the research for this exhibition was done by Mike Evans of the Fitzharris Estate Residents Association.

The museum is run by Abingdon-on-Thames town council.

Abingdon Monday Market to also be Monthly on Saturday

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There’s exciting news for fans of the Abingdon Monday Market! In addition to the regular Monday Market, stall holders will be out on the second Saturday of the month, unless it coincides with another event. This will be a chance for those who can’t make it on Mondays.

This Saturday, however, the frosty weather was a challenge, with only two stallholders braving the cold. One of them was Martin Wackenier of Devine Times Photography, who was offering some pictures at half price. Martin’s enthusiasm for photography began at a young age, sparked by a box camera given him by his grandfather, who recently passed away. It’s thanks to his grandfather’s encouragement that Martin now captures such stunning images.

Martin is pictured with his own picture of an Orangutan (Benjy I think) who Martin adopted as a Birthday Present at Dudley Zoo. As an adopter, Martin got a free entry to the zoo and even got to help feed Benjy, who now recognises him!