Abingdon

Abingdon Town Hall
Abingdon Town at twilight in early summer 2007.

Abingdon is an established market town approx. 15 mins drive from Oxford City Centre. It is just a few miles north of Didcot (of railway fame), and within a short drive of the scenic Vale of the White Horse in which can be seen the famous ancient monument in the form of a white horse carved into the chalk hillside.

First established sometime during the Iron Age, Abingdon claims to have at least as long and interesting a history of its larger neighbour, Oxford. It is said to be the oldest-continuously occupied settlement in Britain (not the oldest town, because it hasn't always been a town).
During the Roman occupation of Britain, Abingdon grew into a small prosperous town. Buildings, or at least some of their walls, dating from the 2nd century onwards have been identified by archaeological excavations. Pottery has also been found in this area, some of it dating from around the 4th century.

Abingdon's more recent history is closely inter-connected with that of its Abbey and includes similarly bold claims! Abingdon Abbey claims to be the first monastery to be established in Britain - though this is disputed by Glastonbury, whose abbey is said to have been founded by St. Joseph of Arimathea in AD 63. (Limited documents survive to substantiate either claim.) Abingdon was also important during the Anglo-Saxon period. During the reign of King Alfred the Great, Abingdon Abbey was burnt by raiding Danes from nearby Reading - who may have travelled to Abingdon by boat along the River Thames.

Abingdon's long and interesting history is described in more detail elsewhere - such as the illustrated account on the Berkshire History website. Although this town is strictly outside of Oxford, it is very close by and we visited some of the historial sites in Abingdon while working on our research to select images for use in the Oxford Tarot Deck.

Today, Abingdon is a pretty little Market Town with a market in the town square (opposite Costa Coffee) on Mondays. It also includes a beautiful section of the River Thames that is popular with boating enthusiasts as well as walkers, families, and cyclists.

The photograph below is of Abingdon Town Centre as seen on a sunny day in August 2007.