Acting and Science

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Acting and Science
As Eddie Redmayne has just won an Oscar for Best Actor, for his portrayal of Professor Stephen Hawking – in The Theory of Everything … here is a picture of him with, Mark Chalk Iles, a former student at Abingdon School, whose mum still lives in Abingdon. Eddie and Mark appeared together in the National Youth Music Theatre production of The Ballad of Salaman Pavey at the Globe Theatre in about 1999. Mark is currently appearing in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Acting and Science
The forthcoming Atom Science festival happens in March, and you can pick up leaflets from Mostly Books, or read about it online. The festival will include, among many features, a well illustrated presentation called “Cosmic Quest – From Babylon to Big Bang”.
Acting and Science
This Thursday there will be one of Atom’s regular talks at the Kings Head and Bell.

Publishing House Sold

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Publishing House Sold
Publishing House, at the bottom of The Vineyard, has gained prior approval to change from offices to residential use, and has now been sold.
Publishing House Sold
It was vacated by Connexions, the agency charged with helping to find young people work, in August 2011, and there has been a To Let sign / For Sale sign outside since.

Henry VIII’s progress to Abingdon

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Henry VIII progress to Abingdon
Abingdon got a mention near the end of Episode 4 of the historic drama, Wolf Hall, currently being shown on the BBC. Thomas Cromwell dictates “Itinary for the King’s summer progress; depart Windsor, then to Reading, Missenden, Abingdon … then Wolf Hall!

Henry VIII stayed at Abingdon Abbey, on another occasion, at the start of April 1518 with wife Catherine of Aragon in the time of Cardinal Wolsey. There is an exchange of letters between Richard Pace, who is with the King, and Wolsey who is left to conduct government back in London.

The court were on the flight from the ‘sickness,’ and the chief chief issue concerning Abingdon is ‘There is very little accommodation in this small town’ and “Sufficient provision has been made at Abingdon of horse meat for the King. Cannot tell how ‘other poor men’ will do.”

The letters are available on the internet and Pace starts writing from Abingdon on 27th March 1518.

College Hedge is gone

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Hedge Cutting
Today they were chopping down the big hedge that has grown up in front of Abingdon and Witney College to reveal the refurbished building behind.
Hedge Cutting
Thanks to Helen and Craig for separately letting me know.

Craig said “You might want to get down to Abingdon College this morning – those hideous conifers are coming down!“.

By lunchtime, when I got there, it was nearly all gone.