As well as walking yourself around the town and watching our curated set of films, there are a few other events that offer a unique and more hands-on experience of heritage in the town this year. From livestreaming via Facebook to real places to visit (in small groups only) have a look at the options below.
The Heritage Weekend team will have a stall in the Market Place on Saturday 19th September from 10am to 3pm to offer advice, printed walk-guides and information on where to find the things that most interest you.
Hidden Nature - a Facebook Live Event from the Museum
Join us on a Facebook Live event and get a virtual journey around the galleries meeting the staff, volunteers, guests and local historians talking about curious and hidden stories of Abingdon Museum and the local area, you can ask questions as we go!
For more information click on this link
Heritage Films Launch Event
Whilst all of our films will be available online there is also the chance to be there at the unveiling on Saturday morning (19th) and see some of the newly commissioned films on a larger screen. A chance to meet some of the enthusiasts who made them. For more information click here.
Radley Lakes Consultation Days
A masterplan is being drawn up to maximise the potential of the surrounding lakes and areas in proximity to Thrupp Lake. Public input requested!
Radley Lakes is the area of former minerals workings just to the east of the town. Most of the area is in Radley, but most of the visitors are from Abingdon. Already popular, especially over the last six months, the area has much greater potential: as a haven of tranquility, rich in nature, with a wide range of beautiful walks for healthy exercise. Discussions and ideas will be crafted into opening up further access to the area surrounding the Radley Lakes, to further encourage walkers, naturalists and anybody who enjoys the outdoors and appreciates local history and natural beauty.
Enjoy the discussions and browse the heritage and historical displays to find out all about this valuable area. Takes place over 2 days at different venues :
Visit the Little Basement Museum (Sunday)
Climb down into the atmospheric museum, where you can explore rare insights into some history and treasures beneath number 4 E St Helen Street, one of the oldest streets in Abingdon.
The Little Basement Museum lies hidden beneath Wisteria Avenue Hair Salon, a largely unknown hidden gem for any local history enthusiasts!
Whilst quaint, this beautiful museum has largely been closed to the public for a number of years and boasts significant history dating back hundreds of years citing artefacts found in the building over the course of time, rare images of the East St. Helen Street and various items that give credence to how the building was utilised by locals dating back a number of centuries. Tree-ring dating suggests the probable construction of this house dates from around the 1530s, though reconstruction took place in the early 19th century. The earliest evidence of human habitation lies about 5m below the current ground level, due to the ground rising on average by 1mm per year since pre-Roman times.
For more information click here.
Abingdon Heritage Weekend is an event managed by Friends of Abingdon Civic Society, working closely with the Abingdon and Area Archeological and Historical Society, and is run by a committee of volunteers. We aim to hold a heritage event every year in September, and the scale and scope of the event varies depending on the year and the budget. If you would like to become an organising volunteer please register your details here and we will contact you in late September/early October so that you can join in the planning for the next heritage event in 2025.
