Town in Oxfordshire, England
Abingdon
In Abingdon, locals climb onto the roof of the County Hall and hurl buns at the crowd below. It is just one of the oddities in a town that has been settled for thousands of years.
Key information
- County
- Oxfordshire
- Nation
- England
- Population
- about 33,000 (2011 Census)
- Known for
- Bun throwing, the MG car factory, Old Speckled Hen, a ruined abbey and a Thames-side setting
- What locals are called
- Abingdonians
- Famous people
- Abbot Faritius, John Roysse, Cecil Kimber
- Football clubs
- Abingdon United (Abingdon Town's senior side folded in 2021)
About Abingdon
The town that throws buns from its roof
Abingdon's strangest tradition is bun throwing. On big royal occasions such as coronations, jubilees and weddings, the town's officials climb onto the leads of County Hall and hurl currant buns down into the Market Place. The crowd below scrambles to catch them. The building is as striking as the custom. County Hall went up in the 1680s, and its arcaded ground floor and cupola look more like something from a grand Italian square than an English market town. It now houses the town museum. The buns are not the only odd ritual in the calendar. Abingdon's morris dancers are a fixture of the streets, and the town's folk traditions are kept lively by local sides.
One of England's oldest towns, built around an abbey
Abingdon claims to be among the oldest continuously inhabited towns in England, with people living around this bend of the Thames since prehistoric times. The town grew up around Abingdon Abbey, founded in the 7th century. It became one of the wealthiest monasteries in the country. Abbot Faritius, who ran it from 1100 and was a physician to Henry I, was a powerful figure who rebuilt the abbey on a grand scale. The abbey was dissolved in the 1530s and most of it vanished. Some pieces survive beside the river, including the Abbey Gateway, the Checker and the Long Gallery. Abingdon's modern layout of lanes, almshouses and market place still follows the old monastic geography. Abingdon School traces its roots to the abbey era. It was refounded in 1563 by John Roysse, a London mercer who was born in the town.
Safety Fast: the sports cars of Cemetery Road
For 51 years, Abingdon was the home of MG. Cecil Kimber's sports car firm began in Oxford, then moved in 1929 to a factory on the edge of Abingdon. Thousands of workers built the MGB, the Midget and many other models there. The last cars rolled out in 1980, when the factory closed. The MG Car Club, still based in the town, keeps the memory alive. Plenty of the little roadsters can still be seen on the town's streets. The factory also left an unexpected legacy in pubs. In 1979 the local brewer Morland launched a new ale to mark the 50th anniversary of MG's move to Abingdon. They named it Old Speckled Hen, after a paint-spattered MG runabout used around the works. It went on to become a national beer. Greene King bought Morland in 1999 and moved the brewing to Suffolk.
Riverside Abingdon
The Thames runs beside the town, and Abingdon makes the most of it. There is a lock, a medieval-rooted bridge and a path along the water. Rowing is a serious tradition here. Abbey Meadow is the town's riverside green. It has a well-loved outdoor pool, one of the few lidos left in the area. The Long Alley Almshouses, dating from the 15th century, are among the most photographed buildings in town. The Michaelmas fair fills the main streets with rides every autumn, as it has for centuries. St Helen's Church, close to the river, has a remarkable painted ceiling and an unusually wide nave.
Skies, sport and a modern market town
RAF Abingdon opened in 1932 and later became an important base for airborne forces. Today the site is used by the army. In sport, Abingdon United keeps non-league football going, while Abingdon Town's senior side folded in 2021 after withdrawing from the Hellenic League. Rugby and rowing both have strong local followings. People from the town are called Abingdonians. A day out here might include a stroll along the Thames, a look at the abbey remains, and a pub lunch with a pint of the local beer.
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Morris Dancing
Grown adults strap bells to their shins, whack sticks together and dance in car parks, all to keep a tradition alive that Shakespeare's clown once danced 100 miles.
Culture & Traditions