Sometimes I visit Abingdon on a weekend as it makes a change from the bustle of Oxford, even if they do seem to have the same snarly traffic problems when busy.
One of the reasons I like Abingdon is that it has some history and that is partly reflected in its buildings. It has a lot a nice old houses in a variety of styles and a fine County Hall. I have done a few drawings along St. Helen’s Street, which runs south from the County Hall. This is full of listed buildings and so is well worth visiting during the annual ‘Open doors’ weekend, if you have the time.
The town also has other attractions but for me Bath Street is another favourite. This is an old road, now partly cut off by the inner ring road. It is slightly run down – but that adds to its charm. It has a charity shop, a host of eateries, pubs and the rather wonderful Mason’s embroidery and materials shops. It’s also a bit quieter than the rest of the town and as it happens, is a good place to do some sketching on a Saturday afternoon.
Setting up outside of Mason’s, here is my view along the Street, my sketch in-situ and a scan of my not-quite finished drawing.
Below are a couple of links of my other Abingdon sketches.
OxfordArtist 