Abingdon

About

The Vale of White Horse is a peaceful and tranquil place that is also a global hot-spot for science and innovation.  It has great transport links and is only 60 miles from London.    The Vale makes an ideal base for exploring Oxfordshire and the countryside provides great opportunities for walking, cycling and horseriding. 
 
Located six miles south-west of Oxford, the former county town of Berkshire had a slight name change in 2012 to become Abingdon-on-Thames. Best known for MG Car manufacturing, Abingdon is recognised for special architectural merit with some thirty-four 17th century buildings while twenty-two are even older.
 
Evidence exists of an early Bronze Age settlement which, at over 6,000 years old, makes Abingdon the oldest continuously occupied town in Britain. An Abbey was established in the 7thcentury which was visited by William the Conqueror and his son, the future Henry I, was educated here. By the time of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, Abingdon Abbey was the sixth richest in Britain. Parts of the building remain and play an active part in community events.
 
When the Wilts and Berks Canal opened, Abingdon became a key link between major industrial centres such as Bristol, London, Birmingham and the Black Country. Although abandoned in 1906, a voluntary trust is now working to restore and re-open it. The original Abingdon railway branch line is now a popular cyclepath. Road bridges crossing the rivers’ Thames and Ock are listed as ancient monuments. Abingdon Bridge dates from 1416 and is technically two bridges, linked by Nags Head Island.
 
The town was granted a market charter in the 13th Century and there is a market each Monday and Farmers' Market on the third Monday in the month. There are riverside parks and gardens, space for angling and leisure facilities for tennis, swimming and boating. Abingdon-on-Thames was one of the first towns to offer widespread free wi-fi access.
 
Six things to do in Abingdon:

• Walk along the Thames Path National Trail at Abingdon and view historic Abingdon and visit Abingdon Lock. Watch pleasure boats passing through Abingdon Lock – the oldest surviving lock chamber in the UK, and possibly Europe.
• In the Summer, take a cruise on the River Thames with Salters Steamers. A trip to Culham Lock takes 30 minutes and you can either walk back (just over 2 miles) or catch the bus (No. 33 runs hourly). Check the website for scheduled cruises.
• Visit County Hall Museum – one of Abingdon’s oldest and most beautiful buildings re-opening after extensive refurbishment in summer 2012. Exhibits include the last MG manufactured at Abingdon.
• Admire St Helen's Church – with five aisles, England’s second widest church is wider than it is long and has beautiful 14th century painted ceilings.
• Explore the Abbey Buildings - remains of the medieval abbey destroyed by Henry VIII include the 13th century Checker, the Long Gallery and Undercroft.
• Book a visit to the medieval Merchant house –16th century wall paintings, gallery windows, fireplaces and walled garden restored by the Oxford Preservation Trust.
   

Walk along the Thames Path National Trail at Abingdon and view historic Abingdon and visit Abingdon Lock.