Abingdon was the county town of
Berkshire, becoming part of
Oxfordshire after local government re-organisation in 1974. The site was occupied by settlers of the Bronze and Iron ages, later being both a Roman and a Saxon settlement. When
Henry VIIIdissolved the monasteries in 1538, Abingdon Abbey was the 6th richest in Britain. The Monday market has existed since 1556. The Wilts and Berks canal arrived in 1810, linking Abingdon to such places as Bristol, London, Birmingham and the Black Country. The first link to the railway came in 1856 with a branch connection to Culham and subsequently via Radley. The local station closed in 1963. The bridge over the Thames is over 550 years old.
Abingdon is within easy reach of both the M40 and the M4.