This Christmas Eve we had more time than usual, and went for a walk round the South Abingdon illuminations. The River Thames had grown as water poured down from the River Ock and other tributaries.

We headed first up Saxton Road which is well lit at Christmas.

If anything there were more lights than usual.

Then we headed over to the Tithe Farm Estate where there were far more lights than usual.

There was a mixture of advent windows and outside lights.

Next we headed across to Medlicott Drive on the Ladygrove Estate. That short road has more lights per property than any road in Abingdon.

Plants and bare winter trees are festooned with multi-coloured lights.

Walking home, it felt cold. The moon and stars shone clearly above.

We did miss some of the usual Christmas Eve traditions, but did catch a recording of the St Helen’s Christingle Service.

Christmas Day will be quieter with less people. I wish you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.

In addition to the estates mentioned two days ago, my wife told me that the Fitzharris Manor estate also has an advent window trail.

This estate was taken over by a government ministry during WWII. After the war, houses were built on the estate for the scientists working at the nearby Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) at Harwell. The old manor house still stood at the centre.

Now there is a large green space and a plaque where the house used to be. An article in the Sphere magazine in 1952 suggests that a figure in the region of £20,000 would have been needed to repair it. Local campaigners from the Friends of Abingdon contested this figure. Abingdon Town Council told the Sphere that even if the building were given to the town it would be doubtful the town could afford to repair it.
Names of nearby villages were adopted for the road names on the estate: Letcombe, Sutton, Aston, Stanford, Kingston.

The advent windows mostly keep to traditional Christmas themes.

But I did see one Scientist warning us to ‘Buy Less Plastic this Christmas’.