bed breakfast Hungerford
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There isn't much left of Abingdon Abbey today. It lies buried beneath the Abbey Gardens. Don't be fooled by the sham ruin there. It's only a folly put up in the 1920s. Some of the stones do come from the old buildings though. The Abbey gateway is the most obvious of the Abbey's remains. This beautiful 15th century building adjoins the Norman Church of St. Nicholas, also built by the monks on the edge of their enclave. St. Edmund of Abingdon's mother was buried here, as recorded by a small plaque. St. Edmund was the eldest son of an Abingdon merchant who was so wealthy he could afford to send his offspring to University in Oxford (where St. Edmund's Hall is named after him). Edmund became Treasurer of Salisbury and eventually rose to be Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1240, he died on his way to see the Pope in Rome. He was buried in Pontigny Abbey where his shrine became an important pilgrimage centre. The people of Abingdon built a small chapel dedicated to him near his birthplace in St. Edmund's Lane. His mother's remains were later reinterred here. On the opposite side of the Abbey Gate is the old guesthouse or hospitium of St. John. (There are obvious parallels with Reading Abbey.) The building became the town's council chambers and was drastically altered in 1731. An unexpected delight from the Abbey's past is the 13th century Exchequer Building with the finest medieval chimney in the country. Adjoining is a superb timber framed long gallery of about 1500.
Abingdon once had a famous market cross which stood just in front of the Abbey Gate. It was put up, about 1440, by the Fraternity of the Holy Cross as a monument to their Civic pride. One of the most fabulous crosses in the country, it stood some 57ft high and consisted of four, mostly hexagonal, tiers with niches and finely carved statues. There were six each of kings, virgins & prelates and prophets. These included King David and the Virgin Mary, and probably local patrons, such as:
King Ine, King Edgar the Peacemaker, King Henry VI, St. Helen, St. Katherine, St. Edmund of Abingdon, St. Aethelwold
The main structure of the cross was almost entirely rebuilt, in 1605, by the Fraternity's successors, the Hospital of Christ of Abingdon. At this time, it became covered with the arms of the hospital's members, most of the local Landed Gentry. Those of Sir John Golafre of Fyfield and Mr. Unton of Faringdon remained from the original cross, but amongst the new arms were those of:
Bessell Fettiplace of Marcham & Besselsleigh, Andrew Windsor of West Hagbourne, Sir William Essex of Lambourn, Edmund Dunch of Little Wittenham, Mr. Choke of Avington, Mr. Stonehouse of Radley, John Clarke of Ardington, Henry Moleyns of Brightwell, Sir Henry Neville of Billingbear, Thomas Nelson of Chaddleworth, John Southcott of Drayton, Mr. Gayer of Foxley, Mr. Sutton of Inkpen, Mr. Pusey of Pusey, John Organ of Upper Lambourn, William Wollascot of Brimpton & Shalford
In May 1644, the magnificent cross was totally destroyed by the Puritanical Roundhead troops stationed in the town. They had just returned from an unsuccessful attempt to cross the Thames at Newbridge and attack Oxford.
Thus thwarted, they took their anger out on the town's great monument. Abingdon had not long been under Parliament's control. Being so near to Oxford, it was originally a Royalist town, but was taken by Essex and Waller more through luck than judgement. The Royalists had retreated and found, too late, that the King wished them to hold the town with reinforcements from Faringdon. Throughout the parliamentary garrison, conditions were appalling for both townsfolk and soldiers. There were many desertions. Major-General Browne wrote numerous times for relief, but none came. Despite continuous attacks from the Royalists at Oxford, particularly by Prince Rupert's men in the January of 1645, the Roundhead garrison managed to hold out for victory in early 1646.