Registered Charity No 507459
We have just sent out a survey to all the Friends to ask for some help please.
We would like to understand what our members value most about being a Friend. Your answers will help us plan future activities, improve our communications and attract new members.
Please click the link in your email and complete the form online - it should only take a couple of minutes. If you prefer a hard copy, that was attached to the email as well, but get in touch if you have any difficulties.
Thank you!
ABINGDON-ON-THAMES AND KINGSTON BAGPUIZE HOUSE, OXFORDSHIRE
TUESDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2026
The Friends of Abingdon Civic Society has several walks on their website, on the
Events page, which can be downloaded. Two look particularly interesting – Heart of Abingdon and
Heritage.
The ancient church of St Helens has a medieval painted ceiling in the Lady Chapel. The
church website has more information under History.
There are local cafes to obtain coffee/lunch or bring a picnic to enjoy beside the river.
We leave Abingdon at 13.45pm to travel to Kingston Bagpuize House, a family home set in the
Vale of The White Horse and surrounded by a beautiful garden and parkland. There has been a
manor at Kingston since Saxon times but the current house is Georgian as is much of the furniture.
It featured in an edition of Downton Abbey as the home of Lord Merton! We will have a 45
minute tour of the house and then time to look round the garden. Redevelopment of the garden and
grounds started in 1949 and continues to the present day. In the early days advice, and plants, were
provided by Harold Hillier.
We will have tea and cake (included in the price) before leaving at 16.30pm.
(with thanks for photos and text to Cherry)
Weobley is part of the Hereford Black and White Trail and has several Tudor black and white houses.
Parts of the recent film Hamnet were shot in Weobley. There is also a Heritage Trail with plaques.
On the edge of the village SS Peter and Paul church has its origins in Norman times and has been added to and rebuilt over the centuries. The bell-tower was added in the mid 14th century (the second tallest in the county) and is set at an angle and thought to have doubled up as a fortified peel tower against Welsh raids.
We set off to the lovely medieval village of Weobly where Hamnet was filmed. Lots of sunshine, nice cafe and fascinating church.
The Wobbly (Weobley) Badger cafe. It was used as Shakespeare's birthplace in the Hamnet film.
“Architecturally Burton Court is varied with influences ranging from Norman Medieval, Regency, Victorian and Edwardian periods. The Norman influence is noticeable in parts of the cellars and also on a large archaeological dig in the grounds that has been going on here since 2000. We have since amassed the largest medieval pottery collection in the county. We are still waiting to prove if we have the remains of an earlier castle settlement.
The centrepiece of the house is the spectacular 14th Century Great Hall; a remarkable survivor of medieval architecture that dates back to 1330. The Great Hall was used as a Court of Law for centuries, hence Burton Court. Oddly enough the court rolls in the 17th century state that people were held to court for not doing enough archery practice!”
Friday Focus talks at the gallery are wide-ranging and yesterdays was something new and a real treat. It took place in the Regency ballroom and featured live piano music and dancing, allowing us all to drift off into the realms of Jane Austen!
The combination of music, movement and storytelling made history feel wonderfully immediate. Rather than simply hearing about Regency society, we were able to glimpse what it might actually have felt like to attend one of these fashionable assemblies two hundred years ago.
One of the things I found most fascinating was just how many rules governed a Regency ball. Public Assembly Rooms, whether the famous London venues such as Almack's or smaller towns around the country just like Leamington Spa, operated under strict byelaws covering dress, behaviour and etiquette. Breaking the rules could result in fines or even being asked to leave. Gentlemen, for example, were expected to leave their swords at the door before entering the ballroom.
Presiding over the entire occasion was the Master of Ceremonies, whose authority within the ballroom was considerable. He introduced guests, directed the musicians, approved dances, settled disputes and generally ensured that the evening ran smoothly and according to the rules. In many ways he was part host, part organiser and part referee.
The Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum collection includes the Master of Ceremonies' badge of office, purchased for the museum by the Friends of Leamington Art Gallery (FLAG); you can see it here on the left.
The dances themselves could be lengthy affairs. The leading couple would begin at the top of the set, which might include 20 couples, and gradually progress down the line before eventually returning to their starting place, meaning that a single dance could continue for half an hour or more.
What I loved most was the way the event conjured an entire world: the rustle of silk gowns, the careful introductions, the excitement of being asked to dance and the ever-watchful eye of the Master of Ceremonies ensuring that standards were maintained. Sitting in that splendid ballroom, listening to the music and watching the dancers, it was remarkably easy to imagine that the next person through the door might be Elizabeth Bennet or Mr Darcy.
Flag's thanks to everyone involved in such an enjoyable and informative afternoon, and to the gallery for continuing to find such engaging ways to bring local history to life.
