Abingdon Walk: Town Centre | Abingdon-on-Thames【4K】

Located in the county of Oxfordshire (although formerly part of Berkshire up until 1974), and around six miles south of Oxford, is the town of Abingdon-on-Thames, commonly referred to as, simply, Abingdon.

It is claimed that Abingdon is the longest continually inhabited town in Britain. Around 675 or 676 AD (various sources give conflicting dates), an abbey was founded, and a settlement grew around it. After flourishing for around 200 years, the abbey was destroyed by the Danes. It was later re-founded in the 10th century and went on to become the sixth largest abbey in the country prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. None of the abbey remains today except for its outline on the ground of Abbey Gardens.

During the medieval era two prominent churches were built, which stand to this day. St Nicolas Church stands outside the Abbey Gateway and dates from the late 12th century. It provided a place for the abbey servants and tenants to worship. St Helen's Church stands on the north bank of the River Thames at its confluence with the River Ock. It dates from the late 12th or early 13th century although various extensions were added up to the 16th century, and the spire was rebuilt in the 19th century.

Abingdon thrived around the 13th and 14th centuries as a market town with an agricultural centre and a wool industry. In 1327 a riot broke out when the townsfolk, who were unhappy about the abbey's control over the market, burned the market house and gates of Abingdon Abbey. The prior, for fear of his life, was obliged to grant the charters they presented to him. These privileges were revoked not long after, and tensions between the townsfolk and the abbey remained up until its Dissolution in the 16th century.

Between 1416 and 1422 Abingdon Bridge was constructed in stone. The bridge was mostly rebuilt in 1927, although the original stones were reused for facing in order to preserve its historic appearance.

Between 1678 and 1683 Abingdon County Hall was built. It was designed in the Baroque style by Christopher Kempster, a master mason who had worked for Christopher Wren on St. Paul's Cathedral. It served as Berkshire's county hall, to which Abingdon was the county town at the time up until 1867 when Reading took over this role. In 1919 it became a museum dedicated to the history of Abingdon-on-Thames.

In 1790 Abingdon Lock was built. This was followed by the opening of the Wilts & Berks Canal in 1810. This in turn linked up to the Kennet and Avon Canal between Bristol and Reading. With these waterways, Abingdon was provided with trading routes to nearby towns, although the Wilts & Berks Canal was formally abandoned by an Act of Parliament in 1914.

In 1856 the first of three ill-fated railway stations opened in the town by the independent Abingdon Railway Company. Abingdon station provided a shuttle service to the nearby village of Radley on the line between Didcot and Oxford. The two other stations were Abingdon Junction and Abingdon Road Halt, both of which were short-lived, lasting just 17 and 7 years respectively. Abingdon station itself survived until 1963, at which point it fell victim to the Beeching Axe, where over 2000 stations closed across the country as a means of promoting use of the then brand new motorways. With a population of over 30,000 according to the last census, this makes Abingdon one of the largest towns in Britain with no rail connection. Public transport consists of a local bus company with a monopoly in the town (true at the time of writing - whether Stagecoach or Arriva take the initiative and fill the gap in the market remains to be seen...)

Historically, Abingdon-on-Thames was part of the county of Berkshire up until 1974 when, under local government reorganisation, it became part of Oxfordshire and the seat of the Vale of White Horse District Council.

👇 SUBSCRIBE TO 4K EXPLORER FOR NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK 👇
https://www.youtube.com/4KExplorer?su...

Filmed: 28th May 2022

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/45BVrE3LbTBEHDcr9

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Thames Path
0:07 Thames Path / St Helen's Church
0:14 Thames Path
3:05 Abingdon Bridge
5:29 Bridge Street
7:33 Abbey Gateway
7:59 Abbey Close
8:31 Abbey Gardens
10:04 Trendell's Folly (fake abbey ruins created in the 19th century!)
10:24 Abbey Gardens
11:01 Queen Victoria Statue
11:14 Abbey Gardens
12:47 Abbey Close
13:15 Abbey Gateway
14:14 Stert Street
16:21 Broad Street
17:17 Bury Street
19:02 Market Place
19:14 Abingdon County Hall Museum (built 17th century)
19:20 Market Place
19:31 High Street / St Nicolas Church
19:41 High Street
20:04 Market Place
20:29 East St Helen Street
22:10 East St Helen Street / St Helen's Church
22:58 East St Helen Street
23:11 West St Helen Street / St Helen's Church
23:20 West St Helen Street
25:47 High Street
26:37 Bath Street
28:24 The Square
28:49 Ock Street