Tours > Royal County of Berkshire Towns > Abingdon
Abingdon
Abingdon
is a town of three rivers: the Thames,
the Ock and the hidden Stert all flow
through the town. The fine Thames Bridge
was mostly built in 1927, but two
medieval arches of 1416 remain. There are
pleasant walks along the Ock and the tow
path of the Thames to Abingdon Lock and
Abbey Meadow (in Oxfordshire) from where
there are regular boat trips in the
summer.
A market
town, though somewhat larger than most,
Abingdon bosts a town hall to rival all
others. Standing in the Market Square
(market on Mondays), it was completed in
1682 by Christopher Kempster, Sir
Christopher Wren's master-mason who created
the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral
(London). It is a superb piece of
monumental restoration architecture, yet
still retains the open ground floor of
earlier years. The interior houses the
town museum with many interesting local
exhibits (the tourist information
centre is in nearby Bridge Street). It is from the beautiful
balustrading and cupola on the roof that
town officials ceremonially throw buns to
awaiting crowds below on suitable
National celebratory (often Royal)
occasions. More regular are the (Mock) Mayor of Ock Street
elections every June when the local Morris Dancers choose their leader.
Abingdon is one
of fifty towns in the country listed for
their special architectural merit. The
town has some thirty-four 17th century
buildings and twenty-two that are even
older. However, this has not prevented it
growing into a thriving centre with good
High Street name shopping throughout the
main streets and modern shopping mall.
There is also an excellent Sports and
Leisure Centre housed in the cleverly
converted Old Gaol which looms menacingly
over the Thames. It is said locally to be
haunted.
The town
is florally bedecked in Summer and there
are two large public parks: the Albert
Park and the Abbey Gardens. The latter
are laid out over the buried remains of the
historic Abbey of Abingdon founded way
back in AD 675. Dissolved at the
Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538,
there is nothing of the church left to
see today, though there are some
fascinating associated buildings. The
mock-ruins in the gardens are,
unfortunately, only an imaginative 1920s rebuilding
from various pieces of the
abbey and other churches. It is known as
'Trendell's Folly'. Nearby is the 13th
century Abbey Exchequer, with its unusual
roofed chimney. The Checker Hall
adjoining was restored, in 1953, as the
Unicorn Theatre. It's Elizabethan style
stage and excellent acoustics provide a
unique atmosphere. The beautiful
timber-framed Long Gallery dates from the
late 15th century and was probably used
for guest accommodation. Today it is
available for hire for various functions
and is opened to the public on a regular
basis by the Friends of Abingdon. Their
headquarters is in the old Abbey
Bakehouse.
The Abbey Gateway
stands between the gardens and the Market
Square and dates from 1450. It is
sandwiched between the hospitium of St.
John (1130, though much extended in the
18th century) and St. Nicholas' Church
(1184). The latter was the burial place
of the mother of St. Edmund of Abingdon,
a 13th century Archbishop of Canterbury.
East St. Helen's
Street is probably the most charming in
Abingdon where ancient houses and Ipswich
windows lead down to St. Helen's Church.
This is said to be the widest church in
England and its fine 13th century spire
is well known to many river cruisers.
Inside are gems such as the mayoral pew,
some good brasses and an extraordinary
colourfully painted ceiling of 1390
featuring kings, saints and prophets. St.
Helen's Churchyard is remarkable for its
triple set of magnificent almshouses:
Christ's Hospital (or Long Alley) (1446),
Twitty's (1707) and Brick Alley (1718).
The former are absolutely delighful with
their cloistered walk of 1605 and lantern
of 1707.
Next Stop:
Wallingford
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