Welcome all Puzzlers

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A notice in Abingdon Library reads: ‘Welcome all puzzlers to our Community Jigsaw’ and in smaller type ‘Please supervise children at all times and respect the work of previous puzzlers.’ and ‘Not suitable for children under 3.’

By Tuesday the road, pavement and most of Roysse Court were complete, and the bushes. The remaining building pieces had been sorted into the box lid or tried out on the board.

By Friday the buildings, including St Nicolas Church and the Guildhall, are complete. Visitors come and go, stopping to add a handful of pieces – possibly none, as it gets harder. Only the featureless sky is left to do.

The image is titled Stadtzentrum von Abingdon — ‘Abingdon town centre’ — and comes from a 1,000-piece puzzle by the German company Lais.

Community jigsaws have become a familiar sight in Abingdon (and other) libraries in recent years. They offer an activity that anyone can join, away from phones or computer screens.

What’s On in Abingdon-on-Thames (15–24 January 2026)

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The town is beginning to emerge from the New Year hibernation and there are a few events being advertised on notice boards in Abingdon next week, and even more coming in the following week, which I will return to.

Thursday 15 January – 7.00pm
Conversations with Martin Wackernier
Venue: Garden Room, St Ethelwold’s House

The third in a series of conversations hosted by Duncan Brown. This free evening features Martin Wackernier, a Belgian rock guitarist turned photographer, whose work has taken him around Abingdon and beyond. Martin will reflect on his journey and creative life. Cost: Free. Places are limited. You can try reserving a seat by calling the number but it may be too late. Donations welcome.


The Snow Queen – by Ron Nicol (based on Hans Christian Andersen)
Dates & Times: (see poster)
Venue: Unicorn Theatre, Checker Walk, Abingdon OX14 3JB

Abingdon Drama Club presents a stage adaptation of the classic fairy tale. Cost: £15 (£12 concessions). Tickets are available from The Bookstore, 15 Bury Street, or online via the Abingdon Drama Club website.


Thursday 22 January – 7.30pm
Getting Abingdon Moving: Cycling & Walking Route Improvements
Venue: Abingdon Baptist Church

A talk on proposed cycling and walking improvements in and around Abingdon over the next five years. The speaker is Robin Tucker, Abingdon co-chair of COHSAT and the Coalition for Healthy Streets & Active Travel in Oxfordshire. Hosted by Abingdon Carbon Cutters, Abingdon Liveable Streets, and One Planet Abingdon. Cost: Free. All welcome. Limited parking; disabled parking only.


Friday 23 January (Doors open 6.30pm; quiz starts 7.00pm)
Mayor’s Quiz Night
Venue: The Crown and Thistle, Abingdon

A fundraising quiz hosted by the Mayor of Abingdon in support of The Mayor’s Charities. Cost: £8 per person (maximum of 8 per team).

This is also the night of the annual Church in Abingdon quiz at Abingdon Baptist Church, where each church may enter one team, and two teams if there is room.


Saturday 24 January – 6 pm arrival
Abbey Lodge Burns’ Night
Venue: Hilton Garden Inn, Abingdon

An evening celebrating the life and work of Robert Burns, featuring traditional piping, recitals of Burns’ poetry, and live music from a blues band. Proceeds will be donated to Against Breast Cancer. Cost £38 per person

Here is the final verse of To a Louse by Robert Burns …

O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An’ foolish notion…

(Would some power give us the gift
to see ourselves as others see us.
It would free us from many mistakes
and foolish ideas.)

Footpath Reopened – But Not Yet Connected

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Before the Radley Reach development, a public footpath ran from Twelve Acre Drive, through woodland and across open fields, to the hilltop walk between Lodge Hill and Radley College. During construction, the original entrance was fenced off and a diversion put in place.

Today I noticed the original entry point from Twelve Acre Drive is open again. The path passes through woodland and along the new streets of Monastery Garden and Prior Close, with signs marked Public Right of Way – Footpath Route.

However, the route doesn’t connect up yet. At the end of Prior Close it runs into an active building site, which a workman confirmed is not open to the public.

For now, walkers still need to use the original diversion, which is no longer signed and very muddy.

I am guessing that the newly signed route should be open in a month or so.

Work begins on M&S Foodhall at Fairacres

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Yesterday, a crane was lifting cabins from lorries into the yard at the rear of the former Homebase store at Fairacres Retail Park in Abingdon.

Somebody was measuring for a replacement of the Homebase sign at the entrance to the park.

Lights were on inside the building. Work had begun.

Fairacres is an out-of-town retail park, originally intended for bulky, non-food retailing. Under planning application P25/V1108/FUL, the Vale of White Horse District Council considered Marks & Spencer’s proposal to redevelop the former Homebase store, which was restricted by earlier planning conditions to non-food sales only. Because of the potential impact on Abingdon town centre, the application was reviewed by the council’s independent retail adviser, Nexus Planning.

The owners of the Bury Street shopping precinct argued that the M&S Foodhall should be located in the town centre. However, the council’s independent retail adviser concluded that the Charter Area would not be realistically available within a reasonable timescale, and that the Bury Street Shopping Centre does not contain a large enough store for a modern M&S Foodhall.

The retail adviser also had to determine whether the new store would cause significant harm to Abingdon town centre or to planned investment and regeneration in the Charter Area. They concluded that any loss of trade to Waitrose would be modest, that the town centre was healthy, and that the Foodhall would not undermine regeneration of the charter or future investment.

As a result, the council granted M&S permission, and the M&S Foodhall project is moving ahead and the M&S website has a place where people can express an interest in jobs.

The proposals also initially included a mini roundabout at the junction of Nuffield Way with the Fairacres Retail Park access road. Oxfordshire County Council, the Local Highway Authority, judged that the mini roundabout was not required and it has been dropped.