Where are all the Male Ducks?

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Tim has observed a decline in the male duck population at the bridge by the open-air pool. He has observed this over the past few weeks. Among all the ducks he cannot see a single duck with full male plumage.

He has also observed that duck feeding is less frenzied than a few weeks ago.

He has observed that all the mature ducks have female plumage and a few of the juveniles seem to be growing male plumage but no mature males are visible.

Tim suggested some explanations for this decline in the male duck population:

Habitat Loss: Changes in the surrounding environment might have driven male ducks to other places.
Disease: A disease outbreak specific to male ducks.
Hormonal Factors: Pollutants in the water could be affecting the hormonal balance of ducks, leading to males becoming female.
Leisure: Male ducks have migrated to a more exciting location now the breeding season is over.

Somebody out there may be able to help.

From Malt to Flats

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Located in The Vineyard in Abingdon, The Old Maltings was originally built, as the name suggests, for malting.

In 1999, the building was converted into the offices of Sovereign Housing Association, who manage most of the social housing in Abingdon. The building had open-plan office spaces, meeting rooms and car parking beneath. But Sovereign have moved their offices from Abingdon and it was sold.

Recent planning approvals have opened the way for it to become residential. The existing Maltings at the back is set to be converted into 21 residential flats under planning applications approved a year ago in 2023. There are pending applications to construct two new houses in the former car park and a 5-bedroom House with Multiple Occupancy at the front. The last plan will remove the external staircase, lift, and canopy. This will maximize the amount of housing and reduce the amount of car parking and change the front which the developer described as ‘unsightly later additions’.

Public comment on the proposals have closed. A final decision has not been made, but some of the work is progressing.

The Last Splash of Summer

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The good news it that the open air pool is staying open a few day longer until September 8th. The open air pool thrives on sunshine. Looking ahead ‘Heavy rain is expected for some areas of the UK on Thursday and Friday, but over the Bank Holiday weekend many will experience drier and brighter conditions.’

The campaign of the summer has been ‘Love Abingdon, don’t drop litter, bin it or take it home.’

It would be good if the sunshine returned and the children took over a cleaned up splashpad.

What’s left of Fitzharris Manor House and why it’s sometimes Fitzharrys

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This photo is from 1952. The houses in Kingston Close, behind Fitzharris Manor House, were built between 1946 and 1948 for workers at Harwell’s Atomic Energy Research Establishment, established in 1946.

The manor house and grounds had been requisitioned by The Ministry of Supply. While building the new housing estate, the Ministry also proposed demolishing the house. The Friends of Abingdon and the Council for the Preservation of Rural England had both voiced strong opposition to the demolition arguing that the Elizabethan and eighteenth-century architecture had been allowed to fall into disrepair due to years of neglect by the Ministry. Abingdon Borough Council expressed doubts about its ability to afford the repairs of £20,000 even if the property were gifted to the town. The Ministry then went ahead and demolished the manor house early in 1953.

Nothing was ever built on the site where the manor house stood. Today, it’s a green space with trees, a plaque commemorating the house, and its foundations buried underground. This picture offers a similar view from the green towards Kingston Close.

There are some surviving features from the original estate. Stone walls and trees surround parts of the property, including the wall along Bath Street and that running between the estate and Withington Court, and along Fitzharrys Road.

There is also a stable yard that is used for garages and what looks like an electricity substation.

The most significant survivor, however, is the motte and bailey mound, a pre-existing Norman fortification that predates and has outlasted the house.

There is more about the Fitzharris Estate at https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/abingdon_streets/fitzharris-estate .

What confuses me are the variations in spelling with the old estate called Fitzharris and there is a Fitzharris Industrial Estate, but there are Fitzharrys Road and Fitzharrys School.

Thanks to The Sphere on the British Newspaper Archive 27 September 1952 for information about the protests and the first photo. To Dick Barnes article ‘Fitzharris Manor, Abingdon: from Gentleman’s residence To Demolition’ for ideas about what remains. To Abingdon Past and Present by E Drury and J Thomas for pointing out the houses behind the manor house are Kingston Close. To Alwyn for telling me about the estate today and showing me the estate wall in his back garden. He also said the houses had garages as some American scientists at the time, who AERE wanted to keep after the war, expected garages.