55. Walk around Abingdon

Abingdon is quite an historic place which boats a 7^th century abbey, a 14^th century market,a 15^th century guildhall and a 17^th century county hall.

As  we walked around Abingdon , the Captain turned the First Mate and said ”You know Big Fella “This place  must have the biggest concentration of take-aways in the country as  it seems  that every second shop we see is a take-away   ranging from English to Chinese ,Indian to Turkish. It is   hard to believe that such a nice place has been spoilt by some eateries and these often lower the tone of a place, just look at the type of people who frequent these type of places when the pubs turn out” “Yea “said the First Mate “Old drunks with cast iron stomachs who’d eat anything once they’ve had a skinful ” said The First Mate “And that rules us out on one account then ?” added the Cabin Boy.

 

Now let’s s look at what Abingdon is famous for. In 1084 William the Conqueror celebrated Easter at the Abbey and then left his son, the future Henry I, to be educated there.

In 1790, Abingdon Lock was built, bringing navigation to the town instead of via the Swift Ditch. In 1810, the Wilts and Berks Canal opened, linking Abingdon with Semington on the Kennet and Avon Canal. Abingdon became a key link between major industrial centres such as Bristol, London, Birmingham and the Black Country. In 1856 the Abingdon Railway opened, linking the town with the Great Western Railway at Didcot . The Wilts and Berks Canal was abandoned in 1906 but a voluntary trust is now working to restore and re-open it. Abingdon railway station was closed to passengers in September 1963. The line remained open for freight until 1984, including the MG car factory which was opened in 1929 and remained open until October 1980, when British Leyland closed it as part of rationalisation.

The nearest railway station is now Radley , two miles (3 km) away. The branch line is now mainly replaced by a cycle path, whilst the land on which the station stood has been extensively redeveloped, and is now the site of a large Waitrose store and surrounded by hundreds of new flats and houses.

The most distinguished landmark in Abingdon is probably the building which now houses the Abingdon County Hall Museum, which was formerly the county hall of Berkshire (the town was the county town until it ceded that title to Reading in 1867): a building hailed as the "grandest town hall in Britain.

Another major employer is the British head office of the German appliance company Miele but don’t mention the war!

As was usual with  Billy ,he asked “Is there anyone  famous from Abingdon, “I’m not too sure if that guy who burnt the cakes is from here “Of you mean Mr.Kipling “ laughed The First Mate “ No that old King ,King Alfred” and of course there’s that woman who writes funny poems and talks in that real