Abingdon Area Archaeology and History Society

Martin Buckland: Cowley Concrete - A vanished Abingdon Industry

Cowley Concrete started in a garden shed in Cowley in the early 1920s but soon moved to Abingdon, Radley Road, where more plentiful gravel supplies were available to meet the increased demand for the products.  The company expanded over the years until finally closing down in 1970 having been taken over by Ameys some years earlier. There will be many illustrations of their products and of the pioneer pre-stressed concrete beam production process. There are several examples of their products to be seen locally.

Martin Buckland has been interested in Industrial Archaeology from the age of 4 when watching Great Western trains with his Dad at Iver where he was born. Nearly seven decades later he is involved with the Great Western Society at Didcot Railway Centre in the education team and as a tour guide. He leads walks in Abingdon along the historic and new sections of the Wilts & Berks Canal and he has recently added ‘The Rivers of Abingdon’ walk to the list. He volunteers at the Abingdon Museum in the education department explaining what life was like living on a narrow boat to primary school pupils. He is also a member of several local history societies.

Please note: This talk will be preceded by a short Annual General Meeting (AGM) 

  Thursday 19th October 2023 

Simon Townley: Chipping Norton and Area: Recent Work by the Victoria County History of Oxfordshire

Simon Townley has been County Editor of the Victoria County History of Oxfordshire (old county boundary) since 1996, and has worked on the histories of numerous towns and villages including Witney, Henley, Bampton, and Benson. This illustrated talk will focus on Chipping Norton on the edge of the Cotswolds, which forms the subject of the VCH's next volume (publication due 2024), and which was laid out as a planned 'new town' around the mid twelfth century, set on a hillside above the pre-existing church and Norman castle. The talk looks at its development from those early beginnings through to the twentieth century, exploring aspects of its buildings, economy and social history.

Chipping Norton market place c.1800 (Chipping Norton town Council)            Chipping Norton church and the adjacent castle site (Historic England 24482_025)

 Thursday 16th November 2023 

Andy Hood: The Roman Villa at Cholsey - Recent Excavations

Excavations at Celsea Place, Cholsey revealed multiple phases of archaeological activity, spanning the Bronze Age to Anglo Saxon period. Roman settlement within the site included a previously unknown ‘farmstead’ villa, which appeared to have been occupied throughout the Roman period. This talk will present the findings of the investigations, specifically the excavations within and around the villa, and it will attempt to situate the site within the wider contemporary landscape.

Andy Hood has over 20 years’ experience in commercial archaeology. He has managed archaeological projects throughout England and Wales and he has written numerous grey-literature, as well as publication reports. He is currently an Associate Director at Foundations Archaeology, with both fieldwork and office-based responsibilities.

    Aerial photo of Cholsey excavation phase 1                                                                                               Open Day at Cholsey excavation