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B E R K S H IR E .

[ k k l l y ’s

a ll th is work dating from the 18th c e n t u r y : a door I Th e London C oun ty and W estm inster Bank L im ited ,
on the east side opens into the old din in g hall, now on the w est side of the m arket place, and rebuilt in
servin g as an arm o u ry, and another at th e north end 1885-6, is an edifice of white brick and Bath stone in
leads to the porch, over w hich is inscribed the in v ita ­ the Italian s t y le ; it consists of three storeys, the ground
tion, 44 In gredere ut p ro fic ia s;” th e oth er sides of the floor having a p ro jectin g pedim ented porch, supported
quadrangle are occupied by the form er head m aster’s on two columns.
Messrs. G illett and Co. bankers, of Oxford, and
residence and the houses in B ridge street.
The C orporation insignia include a great m ace, three Messrs. B arclay and Com pany Lim ited have also branches
sergeants’ m aces, m ayor's chain and badge, and borough here in the square.
The County G aol, a plain stone building, in Bridge
and m ayoral s e a ls ; the great m ace of silver g ilt, 4ft.
¿in. in h eigh t, m ade in the Com m onw ealth period, was street, was sold on the transference of the assizes to
re-m ade, an d converted into a reg a l m ace in 1660, as Reading to the late J. C . C larke esq. J.P . and som e­
appears from an inscription on the foot k n o p ; the ser­ tim e M .P. for the borough, and was afterw ards p u r­
geants’ m aces are of silver, and vary from 5J to 7 chased by M r. Charles W oodbridge, w ho converted it
inches in len gth, w ith sem i-globular crested head s; into corn stores ; it is now used by lilessrs. H arris and
the earliest dates from the reign of Queen E liza b e th ; Matthews.
In commemoration of the Jubilee of H er late M ajesty
the oth er two belong to the S tu a rt period. The arm s
of the borough, confirm ed at the heralds’ visitations of Queen Victoria, 1887, a statue of the Queen in white
1566 and 1623, appear on the ancient seal and are m arble, on a suitable pedestal, was erected in the centre
blazoned : v ert, a cross pat once, or, between four crosses of the m arket place at the sole cost of the la te E. J.
p attee, arg. ; the M ayor's chain origin ated w ith the gift Trendell esq. J .P .‘ and was unveiled June 18th, 1887.
The Borough Police Station, erected in 1865, on the
in 1879 of an elaborately w orked gold badge, bearing the
arm s of the town, by J. C. C larke esq. J .P ., M .P. for south-east side of the A bbey gatew ay, is a building of
A bingdon 1874-83, together w ith a link represen tin g his local stone w ith Bath stone dressings, in th e G oth ic
year of office; other ex-m ayors have since m ade various style, but is now used as a reserve station, the tran s­
additions, and the chain now consists of a series of links action of police business havin g been transferred to the
altern a tin g w ith shields bearing the arm s and names of county station in Bridge street.
The' V olun teer F ire Brigade, established in 1871, and
the donors, pendant from w hich is th e badge, inclosing
th e B orough A rm s in coloured enam el, surrounded by supported by the Corporation and voluntary subscrip ­
m un icipal em blem s in gold, and surm ounted b y the tions, consists of about tw en ty m em bers, w ith head
shield of the donor ; a fu ll history and description of the quarters at th e engine house, M arket p la c e ; there is a
in signia is given in the 44A bingdonian ” for C hristm as, steam engine, one m anual engine and a fire escape, w ith
1894; th e Corporation also possesses a m agnificent gold the usual appliances : all th e m em bers of the brigade
vase, presented, O ctober 6th, 1870, by the late Sir can be directly com m unicated w ith by m eans of an
G eorge B ow yer b art. D .L ., J .P ., D .C .L . and a splendid electric call at the engine house.
John Leland, whose itinerary was published in 1549,
collection of silver plate.
T h e C ounty H all is a spacious and rem arkable b uild­ speaks of Abingdon as distinguished for its m anufacture
ing, of ash lar and rough freestone, erected by the C or­ of c lo t h ; indeed, says he, it 44 stondeth by clo th in g,”
poration on the site of an earlier structure, the founda­ and this reputation, in a m odified form, is still fully
tion stone being laid M ay 28, 1678, but the work was m aintained, the clothing m anufactory of Messrs. C larke,
not com pleted till 1684: the design has long been locally Sons and Co. L im ited , em ploying hundreds of w ork ­
attribu ted to the celebrated arch itect, Inigo Jones, who, people both in th e town and surrou nd in g n eighbour­
however, died in 1652: but it seem s probable, from hood : a considerable trade was also form erly carried
e x istin g m unicipal records, th at the designs w ere fu r­ on in sail cloth and sacking, still t-o some ex ten t m ain ­
nished by Mr. Christopher K em p ster, who is believed tained, and there is also a carpet m anufactory,
to have been one of W ren’s clerks at S t. Paul’s : the breweries, flour m ills and m altings.
A corn and cattle m arket is held here every M onday ;
tota l cost of the building am ounted to nearly £3,000 :
it was restored b y subscription in 1853, and is a lofty under th e Corn R eturns A ct, 1882 (45 and 46 V iet,
recta n gu la r edifice of two storeys, th e low er consisting c. 37), returns of purchases are m ade ; horse fairs are
of an open arcaded m arket, above w hich is the H all, a held on the first M onday in Len t, M ay 6th, June 20th,
fine apartm ent, lig h ted on three sides : a series of Septem ber 19th, Decem ber n t h ; and Monday before
stilted p ilasters of the Corinthian order surrounds the Old M ichaelm as day, for h irin g servants and pleasure ;
building, supporting a boldly p rojectin g roof, relieved th ey are held in the principal streets of th e town.
by dormers and crowned by a b alustrading, from within
T h e principal hotels are the Crown and Thistle,
which rises a cupola, surm ounted by a cross and a Queen's, and Lion.
C h rist’s H ospital, on the west side of S t. Helen’s
v a n e ; on the north side is a square pinnacled toweT,
containing a wide open staircase, opening into the m a r­ churchyard, dates its present foundation from a charter
ket square below ; these notes are in p art taken from g ran ted by E dw ard V I. M ay 18th, 1553, to S ir John
the recent article by the Rev. W . J. Loftie F .S .A . in Mason, of A bingdon, and others, bestowing upon the
the 44A rch itectu ra l R e v ie w ; ” near the north side of founders the lands belonging to the dissolved fratern ity
th is b u ild in g once stood the ancient and m agnificent of th e H oly Cross, established in or before the tim e of
Cross, erected probably in th e reign of H enry Y I . by Richard I I. togeth er w ith other property, then of the
the fratern ity of the H oly Cross 44as a m onum ent of tota l value in ancient rents of £65 u s . iod. by the
th eir nam e,” and at w hich proclam ations were made year, on condition th a t the body th us incorporated
and m un icipal orders p ro m u lg ated ; in 1605 the cross should m aintain the four bridges over the Ock and
was repaired, b ut was destroyed by th e
troops of Tham es, w ith th eir causeways, furnish a home and
G en era l W aller, M ay 31st, 1644, during the occupation food for 13 poor persons and devote th eir surplus funds
of the town b y th e Parliam en tary army.
to other works of c h a r ity ; the statutes fram ed by Sir
The Corn E xchange, erected in 1885-6 at a cost of John Mason, the first m aster, rem ained in force
.£3,000, on a site at the north-w est angle of the m arket e x a c tly 300 years. In 1859 a ne-w schem e was approved
place, was opened in M ay, 1886, and is a stru ctu re of by the C ourt of Chancery, b u t th is has been superseded
brick, w ith stone diessings in a modified Italian style, by a m ore recent schem e dated Nov. 17th, 1899, by
from designs by M r. Charles B ell, arch itect, of London ; which the constitution of the governing body is con­
i t consists chiefly of a la rg e hall, lig h ted from above,
siderably modified. The num ber of the alm speople is
w ith a gallery at one e n d ; the front, looking towards 30, w ith tw o nurses ; the b uildin gs consist of dw ellings
the m arket place, is coved at the sides, and relieved by with an open tim b er cloister extending along the whole
pilasters, rising to th e ro o f; between these is a large front ; and in the centre a panelled hall, used for daily
sem i-circular headed window and below a double arched prayers, above w hich rises a q u ain t domed lantern,
en tra n ce; the upper portion is pedim ented and sur- surm ounted by a large vane ; th e hall contains a picture
of G eoffrey B arb ou r g iv in g John H utchion m oney for
m ounted by a large figure of Ceres, presented by the
late J. H. C larke esq. J.P . ; th e hall is also used for the buildin g of A bingdon bridge, presented by Francis
public m eetings and w ill seat over 600 persons, and a L ittle, one of the governors, in 1607; p ortraits of
sam ple m arket is held here every Monday.
Henry V I. and Edward V I. S ir John Mason, S ir Peter
The F ree P ublic Library, in H igh street, erected in Besils, Lionel Bostock, Thom as Tesdale, co-founder of
1896 from the designs of Mr. J. G . T. W est, architect, Pem broke College, and other benefactors, whose arm s,
was opened by the E a rl of Abingdon, and comprises in stained glass, decorate th e w in d o w s; th e original
spacious readin g and news rooms, and a reference and ch arter of the hospital is also preserved here, and there
lending library containing about 7,300 volum es.
is a fine oak table, w ith curiously carved le g s : on the
T h e C hurch room s, form erly the Beaconsfield Conserva- south side of th e churchyard are eighteen almshouses,
tive C lub , are in Ock s tr e e t; the interior com prises rebuilt from the funds of the hospital in 1797; these
two com m odious room s, used for various parochial form ing a sin gle block, are of brick, w ith a projecting
m eetings.
centre and open arcades of three lo fty arches on each