Monthly Archives: March 2015

Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at Abingdon

 

Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at AbingdonWhen I visited Abingdon, I was fascinated by the originality and antiquity of this town, which is considered one of the oldest in the UK similar to Colchester, Amesbury, Ipswich or Thatcham. Some settlements in present Abingdon-on-Thames have existed since the 4th century BC.

During the Roman period in the 1st and 2nd centuries, fortifications were built around the town that proves its importance at that time. Legend has it that the Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at AbingdonRoman Emperor Constantine was born here. In honor of his mother Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at AbingdonHelen, the Church of St. Helen was founded. Chronicles first mentioned this church in 995 AD, rebuilt repeatedly over the centuries it survives to this day. This church also contains a very interesting historical relic – a wooden panel that shows the family tree of William Lee, once a mayor of the town, who died in 1637 and left behind 197 descendants.

The Church of St. Helen was built on the site of a monastery, founded in the year 166 AD and Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at Abingdonfrom historical writings; it is the second-oldest church in England after Glastonbury. William the Conqueror celebrated Easter here in 1084. It is also known that his son Henry the 1st was educated in the monastery.

Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at AbingdonThe name of Abingdon is associated with St. Abban, according to legend he was the only Britt to escape the original Night of the Long Knives in Stonehenge when the Saxons massacred the Brits. In the fifth century AD St. Abban built himself a hermitage in the north of Abingdon, where the Benedictine Abbey of St. Mary was founded later. During the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in the 16th century the Abbey was one of the six richest in England. The town had flourished in the middle ages and a bridge was built on the Thames as the town was situated on the trade route from London to Bristol.

Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at AbingdonThe bridge, which is now more then 550 years old, is a historical Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at Abingdonlandmark with picturesque river banks all along the Thames where a lot of boat travelers and cruisers are enjoying the life that was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his novel “Three Men in a Boat.”

 

Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at AbingdonIn the middle of the river by the side of the bridge there is an island surrounded by willows where a pub called “The Nags head” is nestled with riverside gardens. Most Sundays you can listen to live Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at Abingdonjazz music on the island whilst enjoying barbecued food and a drink. In addition, the town has a very old Morris Dancing tradition. In June, the inhabitants of Ock Street elect a Moyor of Ock Street and hold parades around the town. But it appears that Morris dancing is prevalent throughout the year as I was able to see a performance during a visit one autumn day at a local pub.

 

Abingdon is a main town of the district in the Vale of the White Horse, named after the Uffington White Horse, one of the oldest Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at AbingdonGeoglyphs in Britain that Morris dancing and Jazz on the river at Abingdonexists on a hill in Oxfordshire. Jerome described it as follows in his book (“Three men in a boat”). “Abingdon is a typical country town of the smaller order – quiet, eminently respectable, clean and desperately dull. It prides itself on being old but whether it can compare in this respect with Wallingford and Dorchester seems doubtful”. He may have been right but it certainly did not feel dull to me.

 

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Wallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history”

Wallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history”The ancient town of Wallingford in the Thames Valley at the foot of the Chiltern Hills was founded by Britons and until the 9th century AD was just a small village. During Saxon times, King Alfred the Great, who led the kingdom of Wessex after his brother’s death, fortified the town to protect it against the Vikings. Ancient fortifications completed by William the Conqueror and the ruins of a medieval castle mote and bailey, built in the 11th century for Queen Matilda of England, have survived to this day and are the main historical relics of the town.

Wallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history”These defences next to the town centre are considered some of the Wallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history”best-preserved fortifications in England. The castle was one of the most magnificent castles in the 11th and 12th centuries. Up to 1349 Wallingford was a royal residence. The fortified and walled town flourished as a trading centre as it was situated on an important part of the river Thames. Wallingford was the only crossing place over the Thames for several miles, where eventually a stone bridge was built. In the 15th century the construction of a bridge in the neighbouring town of Abingdon, stopped all trade routes from London to Gloucester from passing through Wallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history”Wallingford, which gradually began to decline, until it’s revival in the 18th century during the civil war.

Wallingford Castle stood up to the Parliamentarians and survived a Wallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history”16-week siege. Subsequently, Cromwell ordered it to be destroyed and much of the stones were removed and used to strengthen Windsor castle. Nevertheless, all the preserved ruins of the castle, especially the fortifications around it, are still quite impressive as historical monuments.

Wallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history”Jerome K Jerome, author of “Three Men in a Boat”, lived near Wallingford and knew the history of this town and mentions it in his famous novel.

In the centre of Wallingford there are reminders of the ancient townWallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history” with many preserved narrow alleyways, three churches and several historic hotels. In one of the hotels, the «Lamb Inn», William of Orange was one of the hotel guests in 1688.

Not far from the “Lamb Inn” that is now an antique centre, there is a Wallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history”very old inn called “The George”. This public house is awash with legends about ghosts and a love story. During the Civil War one girl’s lover was stabbed in this pub. The girl mixed her tears with soot from the fireplace and drew pictures on Wallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history”the wall in the shape teardrops with her finger, which have survived for 400 years. In addition, “The George” was a favourite place of the well-known English highwayman Dick Turpin in the 1700s. Legend recalls that he jumped out of the top floor window unto his horse Black Bess, which was tied in the archway below to Wallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history”escape from justice.

Near the bridge, in Wallingford there is another beautiful pub called the “Boat House”, which is crowded with visitors all year round in allWallingford, “an active centre in the making of English history” weathers, because it happens to sit on a very picturesque stretch of the River ThamesMy next story along the river Thames will be about the old town of Abingdon.

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