Abingdon Abbey Lottery Award
Abingdon Abbey is to be restored thanks to Heritage Fund grant
Today, The Friends of Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust have announced that they have been awarded a £4million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to carry out a once-in-a-generation restoration project that will bring the Abbey Buildings into the 21st century. The Town Council has agreed to grant £200, 000 over 4 years which has helped the Abbey Buildings Trust unlock this grant funding
The Abingdon Abbey Buildings, each Grade I listed, date back to the 13th century and comprise of the Unicorn Theatre, Checker, Undercroft and Long Gallery. They form an essential community space for the citizens of Abingdon and its surrounds but currently aren’t able to operate all year round or offer accessible facilities or access to many spaces.
The three-year project will see the site completely transformed, with a major and long overdue enhancement programme to weatherproof the buildings and make them fully accessible. This includes:
• undertaking a major programme of conservation work to the buildings so they can carry on providing a welcoming space for Abingdon residents into the future
• installing windows to fully weatherproof the Long Gallery for year-round use
• making sure all parts of the buildings are fully accessible with a new lift and level floors
throughout
• a new glass-fronted lobby in The Unicorn Theatre with new retractable seating and disabled
toilets for flexible use
• new interpretation to bring to life Abingdon Abbey’s rich history so more can learn about its
heritage
• running a series of activities and events to share its heritage with the community
Gregory Bensberg MBE, Chair of the Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust said: “Back in 1944, the Friends of Abingdon Civic Society saved these buildings from demolition. Now owned by the Trust, it’s our turn to save them once more. These buildings are part of Abingdon’s story and central to our community. Making sure that everyone can access these, all year round, is the reason this project is needed. It will make sure they are still standing for generations after us.”
The Abbey Buildings are part of the Abingdon Abbey scheduled monument which is what survived of the Medieval Benedictine Abbey of Abingdon. Originally founded in 675, the Abbey fell into disrepair but was re-invigorated following the appointment of Aethelwold as Abbot in 953. It flourished as a centre of Benedictine administration and activity until the Dissolution when the ecclesiastical buildings were demolished.
Stuart McLeod, Director England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Investing in heritage means investing in the community it belongs to, and this couldn’t be truer than with this project at Abingdon Abbey. These buildings are nationally important and are rich in heritage but are also integral to the community. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, they will not only be saved, but also this heritage will be accessible to all, all year round, for the first
time.”
As well as the Heritage Fund grant, the Trust has already raised over £1.2m in support from Abingdon Town Council, the Wolfson Foundation, the Historic Houses Foundation, the Pilgrim Trust and the Oxfordshire Buildings Trust. The Trust will now be launching a public appeal to raise the remaining funds and start the works, hopefully by the summer of 2025.
Abingdon Town Council and Information Centre – Bank Holiday Closure 5th May 2025
Abingdon Town Council and Information Centre will be closed on Monday 5th May 2025 and will reopen at 10am on Tuesday 6th May 2025
Oxford Road – Pedestrian Lights suspended at footpath
Oxford Road – Pedestrian Lights suspended at footpath linking Oxford Road to Boulter Drive and Long Furlong Medical and Community Centre, Pharmacy and primary school.
The Council have been made aware of an incident on Monday involving a primary school cyclist and a car, and this crossing point is extremely well used because of the school, GPs and Pharmacy, so please be aware it’s out of service with no temporary crossing yet in place
Councillors have requested temporary lights as a matter of urgency, and are chasing Highways to get sorted asap. We will update you with further developments.
UPDATE FROM ONE NETWORK ON ROUNDABOUT & SEWER WORKS – OXFORD ROAD & DUNMORE ROAD
The pictures below provide an update on the works that will take place at the Oxford Road roundabout and Dunmore Road.
Contractors have a works compound, machinery and portaloos on site, and have signage warning of works, although they show work dates as 28th April to 13th October.
The Town Council has requested clarity on the dates given as it had been understood that the period of works would be for 11 weeks.
We will post further updates as appropriate to keep residents to be fully informed and aware of disruption.
Update on North Abingdon Roundabout Works from County Councillor Nathan Ley
UPDATE: North Abingdon Roundabout Works – Permit Lodged, could start as early as next week…..warning now just in case….
So, why does this still look like this and why isn’t the roundabout done? It’s all about sequencing, read until the end….➜ The developer has now submitted permit applications for essential *foul drainage* and highway works near the Oxford Road/Dunmore Road roundabout
Remember, this has to be done *before* the left turn lane going up towards Lodge Hill can be finished, to save the Developer digging it all up again
The delay here is the Lawyers between Thames Water and Developers taking their time on the foul drainage part, whilst we all deal with the consequences in the mean time. Anyway…
The developer has requested to begin as early as next week, but the permits have not yet been confirmed. I’ll post again once the start date is officially signed off
➜ We’ve successfully pushed back against the Developers’ original proposal, which would have required multiple road closures and four-way temporary lights—effectively bringing North Abingdon to a standstill. Instead:
No full closures: to facilitate this the central island on Dunmore Road (where I removed the shrub from!) will be temporarily removed to maintain two-way traffic. Only two-way temporary lights, manually controlled from 7am to 8pm to respond to peak-hour pressures. This will last for some weeks though, I’m afraid➜ Why these works are needed:
These works are part of a wider foul water drainage strategy required to support the new housing and community developments north of Dunmore Road and Twelve Acre Drive. This includes residential, retail, education, and care facilities.
Thames Water’s Sewer Impact Study concluded that the existing foul water network couldn’t handle the additional flow from these developments without upgrades. To resolve this, three new connection points were agreed:
Connection Point 1 – Boulter Drive (already in place)
Connection Point 2 – Oxford Road (this is the one being installed now)
Connection Point 3 – Peachcroft Road/Elizabeth Avenue (serving other areas of the development – this has been the cause of the disruption the past couple of months)➜ The works about to begin will enable Connection Point 2, which is necessary to allow the next phase of the development to be occupied and ensure that the foul drainage system functions without putting pressure on existing infrastructure.
➜ We’ve made it clear to the developer and Thames Water that these works must be delivered with as little disruption as possible—and we’ll continue monitoring progress closely alongside officers and fellow councillors.
So this is why the roundabout still looks like this. I hope that helps
Thank you for your patience and sorry to have not been more productive and quicker with all this.
EASTER CLOSURE
PLEASE NOTE
Abingdon Town Council Offices & Information Centre will be closed on Friday 18 April and Monday 21 April and will re-open at 10.00 on Tuesday 22 April.
Abbey Cinema Set to Reopen
Abbey Cinema Set to Reopen in Abbey Hall Following Completion of RAAC Mediation Works
The Town Council is pleased to announce that following the successful completion of RAAC mediation works at the Abbey Hall, the Abbey Cinema will soon return to its original location. The cost of the work has been in excess of £250, 000.
The Council will formally hand the building back to the Abbey Cinema on 1st April, with the cinema scheduled to reopen on 11th April with a full programme of films.
The Town Council extends its gratitude to the Abbey Cinema for its cooperation throughout this process and to the community for its continued support while the cinema operated from its temporary home in the Old Magistrate’s Court.
For further information, please contact:
A34 Lodge Hill Interchange
The A34 Lodge Hill Interchange Scheme is being managed by Oxfordshire County Council.
The scheme aims to achieve the following:
- New south-facing slip roads
- Reprovision of a private road
- Harwell Southbound layby upgrades on the A34
- Improved pedestrian and cycle facilities through shared footpaths as well as controlled and uncontrolled crossings.
- Localised traffic calming works
For more information about what you can expect please visit Oxfordshire County Council – Future Transport
