Abingdon 100 years ago – June 1920

Abingdon 100 years ago
5th June 1920
On Monday last the Abingdon Police had another field day in Abingdon for holding up motor cars for the production of licenses, and Mr Asquith, journeying from his Sutton Courtenay residence, was held up, but it proved to be blank, as the late Premier promptly produced his license.

The G.W.R. Company in their reply to the Abingdon Town Council’s suggestion that the Sunday trains on the Branch should be re-commenced, state that the circumstances did not admit of the facility being afforded.

The Abingdon Town Council has granted another £50 towards the equipment of the Local Museum of Natural History and Antiquities in the County Hall.

The Abingdon Bathing Place was re-opened for the sesion on Sunday last. The floods during the winter having destroyed a portion of the island on which the dressing boxes were built, only a portion of the island can be used at present.

12th June 1920

The Abingdon Railway Slate club members had an outing to Blenheim Park, Woodstock, on Sunday last. The journey was made by brakes, and supplies for luncheon and tea were taken with the party. The day was greatly enjoyed.

The Abingdon branch the C.E.M.S. has through lack of interest of the majority of its members, suspended its active working sine die. (Church of England Men’s Society)

The report of the Abingdon Free Library has been issued and shows satisfactory use being made of the reading and lending department. During the year ended March 31, the period the report covers, 14.304 volumes were issued from the lending department.

Abingdon 100 years ago
19th June 1920

The graded supplies at Abingdon Cattle Market on Monday last were 4 beasts and 56 sheep, 24 of the latter being allocated to Oxford. Calves met a fast trade and realised up to £l7. Supply pigs was rather short, some strong stores made up to 47s.

At Abingdon Borough Police Court: J. H. Hammond, Trinity College, Oxford; Nellie Alden, Eastwick Farm. Abingdon, and F. Hugging, butcher, Southmoor Road, Oxford, were each fined 10s for failing to produce motor licenses when requested by the police.

Abingdon 100 years ago
26th June 1920

Roysse School Founder’s Day took place on Friday last, when the usual service was held in St Helen’s Church, and a wreath placed upon the Founder’s (John Roysse) tomb. A reception of parents and friends was afterwards held at the school, and a cricket match between past and present, the former winning by only one run. On Saturday the usual regatta was held ou the river, where the prizes were distributed by the Lord Lieut of the County (J. H. Benyon, Esq.)

The June Fair was held as usual in the Abingdon Market Place on Monday last, but only a few small stalls and miniature roundabouts were erected.

There was a large attendance at a Council meeting in connection with the Unionist Association of the Abingdon Parliamentary Division, the business being to consider the replacement for the sitting MP, Brig-Gen Wigan, D.S.O.. Mr Arthur T Loyd was selected and in his acceptance speech said: I must thank you very sincerely for the great compliment you have paid me by this selection. Believe me, it is an honour I appreciate very highly, and I also appreciate the great responsibility which attaches to the position in which you have placed me. I must confess I am an extraordinarily bad politician, for I suffer from an awkward inability to say one thing and mean other (applause). Probably I shall get the better of it, but if I betray a disposition to say what I mean and try to do what I say l am going to do, I hope you will put it down to inexperience (laughter and applause) …

Thank you for the extracts to the Faringdon Advertiser and Vale of the White Horse Gazette on the British Newspaper Archive. The picture of Mr Asquith about to drive his car is from The Graphic also on the British Newspaper Archive. The Wills’s cigarette card is from a private collection.

Abingdon Blog – June 2020 update

Abingdon Blog
It is ten years since I have updated the look of the Abingdon Blog, and today have made a few changes which I hope will work. They include:
* bringing all posts and comments since 2006 in one archive (rather than 3)
* improve how it looks on mobile phones
* allows replies to replies, and replies to replies to replies etc.
* fix historic links to websites that no longer exist (there are a lot that have stopped working since 2006)
* allow space for bigger pictures and videos
* remove the brown flock wallpaper which was looking dated

Let me know what you think. If it all goes wrong, and you cannot leave a reply, email backstreet60@gmail.com .

I could still go back to the old but hope to fix any problems and move forward.

Dark Clouds over Abingdon Bridge

Abingdon Bridge
We went for a walk on Monday evening, and I took a picture of Abingdon Bridge. There was sunshine behind and dark clouds ahead. North Abingdon had a downpour, and South Abingdon got little or no rain.
Abingdon Bridge
On the walk we saw that Fabulous Flowers were set to reopen on Tuesday with a flower display over the door.
Abingdon Bridge
Parking rules must be tightening up again. On Lombard Street, all the parked cars had a Police Notice stuck to the windscreen.

Abingdon Town Centre is now Half Open

A dozen or more shops have reopened since Monday.
Half Open
In Bath Street, they included Masons,
Half Open
Clockwork Dragon,
Half Open
and Eileen.

Eileen have a closing down sale that began a few days before the lockdown and is continuing now.

About half the shops in Abingdon town centre are now open. Most of the charity shops are still closed. The hairdressing / nail businesses are closed. Catering (that are not doing takeaway) are also closed.

Of the bigger clothes shops New Look was open with a welcome back sale. Fat Face, M & Co, and Peacock are still closed. They have started re-opening some stores elsewhere.
Half Open
Traffic at the Ock Street / Stratton Way lights was beginning to stretch back to the junction with West St Helen Street at times.