A pretty little UK town is packed with pubs and ancient history, with some archaeological discoveries dating back to hunter-gatherer times and the Iron Age. It’s no surprise that early humans settled here, situated on a river that’s the longest in England, fishing and water needs would have been solved, even back in the year 676 when the abbey was founded.
Back in 676, Abingdon-on-Thames in Oxfordshire would have been an emerging town of the time. In the here and now, Abingdon Abbey still sits at the heart of the ancient town, amazingly it was first built some over 1350 years ago and these days is an important English heritage site. In the Middle Ages, Abingdon Abbey was one of the most affluent monasteries in England, but in 1538 it was one of the first to be disbanded by king of the time, Henry VIII.
Today, the town has a good community at its heart, all living amongst the historical remnants of hundreds of years of heritage – and with over a dozen pubs to choose from there’s also a vibrant atmosphere.
A visitor returning to the town after many years said they’d ‘forgotten what a lovely charming town it is’, the person had grown up there and noticed several changes, one being that it had ‘turned it into a coffee, restaurant and pub heaven’.
One of the older pubs, The Nags Head is said to be at a ‘great location on the iconic Abingdon Bridge’ with ‘great views’ of the River Thames.
The Visit Thames website describes the town as ‘enchanting’ their website says Abingdon-on-Thames is a historic market town set in rural Oxfordshire.
The website adds: “As the name suggests, the River Thames runs right through the centre of this picturesque town, giving yet another reason to make it a stop off for a visit.
“With riverside walks, ancient winding streets, pubs galore and plenty of shops to browse, it is certainly worth a visit.”
The River Thames is the longest river in England, beginning in the Cotswolds and ending at Southend-on-Sea where it feeds off into the North Sea, it’s an impressive 215 miles long.
The town council described Abingdon-on-Thames on their website as having ‘a claim on being the oldest town in England’.
Abingdon-on-Thames council’s website reads: “There is a neolithic settlement here and archeological evidence of the town developing on this site over thousands of years. Only Celtic settlements in Scotland and Wales are more ancient than Abingdon.”
In 1926, a Neolithic prehistoric earthwork enclosure was found in the town which is thought to date back to circa 37th century BC.
A couple decades later, an ancient Roman villa along with Saxon farmstead buildings were discovered at Barton Court, which is now a modern housing site, but part of the historical landmark, still stands amongst the new builds today.