Abingdon Area Archaeology and History Society
Online Resources
AAAHS Guide to Online Resources for Archaeology and Local History
There is now a vast array of online resources for archaeology and local history. In fact, there is so much that it can be hard to know where to start. Below are links to what we think are some of the most useful webpages and resources, with a brief summary of what each contains.
All the sites listed are essentially free to access, although in some cases you will have to pay for additional services or access to some materials.
Resources created by AAAHS
The Abingdon Buildings & People section of the Abingdon Town Council website now has almost 150 articles on Abingdon’s historic buildings, streets and places, and notable Abingdon people. Articles are continually being added. The Abingdon Buildings & People group would welcome new members
The AAAHS online interactive map of Abingdon archaeology and historic buildings. Information can be displayed by period and type of discovery, and viewed over different maps bases, including historic maps.
History of Ock Street in Abingdon. An archive of material from the AAAHS ‘Ock Street Remembered’ exhibition held in 2006.
If you are an AAAHS member, then you can join the private AAAHS Facebook Group.
We also have a public Facebook Page and an Instagram channel.
Abingdon-related web-based resources
The Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council
A website including information on organisations and events.
A long-running chronicle of local happenings.
Detailed walks, information and picture gallery.
Friends of Abingdon Civic Society
Abingdon’s civic society, founded in 1944.
A searchable database of Abingdon men who served in the First World War.
This pack is produced by Wessex Archaeology
Charters of Abingdon Abbey in the time of Faritius
What you get when you are obstetrician to the king’s wife and mistresses!
Oxfordshire historian and writer Julie Ann Godson covers the Abingdon area. She has a Facebook Page and a website.
Abingdon Buildings & People
Abingdon Buildings and People is the name of the History Section of the Abingdon Town Council website. It was created and is managed by a group of AAAHS members for the Council and involves original research and writing, mostly by the group but also by outside specialists. Since its start in 2013 it has expanded into a comprehensive resource for anyone interested in Abingdon’s heritage and history. These pages present the history of the town through short articles on individual buildings and important figures from Abingdon’s past. In 2021 it reached over 200 articles. Find it on http://www.abingdon.gov.uk/partners/history
Take a self-guided walk through Abingdon’s history. Choose one of seven walks that take you to more than 40 buildings. Each walk gives you direct weblinks to articles on the buildings and the people associated with them.
SEVEN WALKS LOOKING AT ABINGDON’S BUILDINGS
Each walk gives you the route with direct links to articles on some of the buildings you will see and the people associated with them.
Walk 1) Bridge Street and Abingdon Bridge
Walk 2) The Guildhall and the Abbey
Walk 3) East St Helen Street and St Helen’s Wharf
Walk 4) St Helen’s Churchyard and West St Helen Street
Walk 5) Stert Street, Our Lady and St Edmund’s and Barton Court
Walk 6) The High Street, the Square and Ock Street
Walk 7) The Albert Park Area
You can access a map of Abingdon here.
We’d welcome your comments on these walks. Please give your feedback here.
Related societies in and around Abingdon
Related Societies in and around Abingdon
Abingdon Branch of the Berkshire Family History Society
(Select the Abingdon Branch)
A charitable organisation which supports Abingdon Museum.
Didcot and District Archaeological and Historical Society (DDAHS)
Sutton Courtenay Local History Society
The Wallingford Historical and Archaeological Society (TWHAS)
County and regional societies
National organisations
Searchable databases covering archaeology and historic buildings
A huge collection of archaeological record, publications, unpublished reports and project archives.
Allows simultaneous searching of over a hundred archaeological and databases, including the Oxfordshire Historic Environment Record (record archaeological sites, monuments and finds in the county).
Allows searching of Oxfordshire’s county museum collections, History Centre holdings and Historic Environment. A map-based search is available.
National Heritage List for England
A list of scheduled monuments, listed buildings and other protected heritage features and areas.
A database of over 1.6 million artefacts, many found by detectorists. Many of the database entries have images of the objects.
Publications
Berkshire Archaeological Journal
Access to all back numbers of this journal, going back to 1878
An academic journal, published annually, with articles on a wide range of Oxfordshire archaeological, architectural and historical topics. Access to all back numbers (although the most recent five issues are only available online to members of Oxford Architectural and Historical Society).
An annual round-up of archaeological work in Oxfordshire Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, especially ‘development-led’ archaeology.
Maps and aerial photographs
Digital images from the huge ‘Aerofilms’ collections of aerial photographs from the 1920s to the 1960s.
An introduction to ‘enclosure’ (the process of enclosing the former open fields and commons) and digital images of (pre-1974) Berkshire enclosure maps and awards of the 18th and 19thcenturies.
Maps from the mid-19th century when the system of tithes (payments to the church, based on land) was being reformed. Includes high-quality images of the maps from many (pre-1974) Berkshire parishes.
Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs
A large collection of aerial photographs, many of archaeological and historic sites, taken in the second half of the 20th century.
A large collection of digitised historic Ordnance Survey and other maps. Many are viewable over modern base maps, to allow ‘then and now’ comparisons.
National Collection of Aerial Photographs
Digitised vertical aerial photographs from the 1940s to the 2000s. Free to view and search, but access to high-quality versions needs a subscription.
Access to a wide collection of historic maps and aerial photographs, some viewable over a modern map base.
Local history records
A vast collection of historic archives. The search engine allows you to search across many other archives and record offices, as well as the National Archives, in a single search
Formerly the Berkshire Record Office, the county record office for pre-1974 Berkshire (so includes large holdings of Abingdon and ‘North Berkshire’ records).
The county record office for Oxfordshire. Includes records for post-1974 Abingdon, and other material relating to parts of Oxfordshire formerly in Berkshire.
Book reviews
Future Events
Getting Big Stories from Small Finds: The Portable Antiquities Scheme in Abingdon and Oxfordshire
15 May 2025: The Lambrick Lecture – Ed Caswell discusses the Portable Antiquities Service
Open Evening
19 June 2025: Open evening with presentations from members.
Latest Gallery Image
Abgdonfirebrigadewithnewpump1933#237
Abingdon Fire Brigade with new pump 1933 #237
ESH+churchpre1912#167
East Saint Helen’s Church pre 1912 #167
OckStfloodwithcarriages1894#274
Ock St flooded with carriages 1894 #274
Coxetershorsedrawnfurniturevanpre1930#286
Coxeters horse drawn furniture van pre 1930 #286
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