Abingdon
An easy drive just six miles south of Oxford, Abingdon is a charming town on the banks of the River Thames. A large number of interesting houses and churches are found here, including the old two-story county hall, built in 1678 and now home to the Abingdon County Hall Museum. Also of note is the beautiful St. Helen’s Church, with its graceful spire, double aisles, and elaborately painted paneling (1390), as well as Christ’s Hospital, founded in 1553.
Parts of the once influential Benedictine abbey (AD 675) can still be explored, including later features such as the Checker Hall (13th century), the Long Gallery (about 1500) and the abbey doorway (1450). Abingdon has several leisure and recreation facilities, including the White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre, Tilley Park, and the Southern Town Park. Each year in October, the town center is closed for the Ock Street Michaelmas Fair, the longest street fair in Europe.
England Culture & Tourism Route © Monika Simon Newbound 2020
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