Lost minigolf courses - Abingdon-on-Thames Crazy Golf

A look back at the old Crazy Golf course at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames.

One of the courses we've visited and played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels but has since become a 'lost' course was the 10-hole Crazy Golf layout at the Abbey Meadows in my home town of Abingdon.

The course was the first one I ever played way back in the early 1980's.

The course had been in the park since the 1950's but was removed at the end of the 2016 season as part of renovations to the area.

It's always sad to see an old miniature golf course removed. Especially so when it's not replaced by a new one.

The last hole of the first course I ever played

In August 2007 the course became the 31st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing hole 5 in 2007

Playing hole 5 in 2012

Playing hole 5 for the very last time in 2016

We also revisited in June 2012 and December 2014.

The course was very mossy on our visit in 2014

Abingdon Bun Throwing - a year ago today

To mark the royal occasion of the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort my home town of Abingdon-on-Thames held a bun throwing event in the Market Place on Sunday 7th May 2023.

The crowd waiting for the buns to rain down

Abingdon holds bun throwing events to mark, mostly, special royal occasions. The events see local dignitaries ascend the steps of the old County Hall where they launch currant buns to the hoi polloi below.

The event began as a bread dole and evolved into a rooftop throwing event and its current incarnation. On this occasion a total of 5,000 buns were thrown to the crowd in the market place.

With the one bun I got last time

The bun throw for the Coronation of King Charles III was the 37th bun throwing in Abingdon since 1761. It was the 17th bun throwing held in my lifetime - I've attended all of them since 1981.

A list of bun throwing events from 1761 to 2023

Videos from Abingdon Bun Throwing for the Coronation of King Charles III

Videos from King Charles III's royal bun throwing event in Abingdon.

King Charles III's royal bun throwing event in Abingdon

To mark the royal occasion of the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort my home town of Abingdon-on-Thames held a bun throwing event in the Market Place on Sunday 7th May.

Abingdon holds bun throwing events to mark, mostly, special royal occasions.

The events see local dignitaries ascend the steps of the old County Hall where they launch currant buns to the hoi polloi below.

The event began as a bread dole and evolved into a rooftop throwing event and its current incarnation. On this occasion a total of 5,000 buns were thrown to the crowd in the market place.

You can read more and see photos of this bun throw here.

Bun Throwing in Abingdon-on-Thames for King Charles III's Coronation

A report from King Charles III's royal bun throwing event in Abingdon-on-Thames.

Take a look at my blog post about the Abingdon Bun Throwing for the Coronation of King Charles III over on my other blog - the World of Bun Throwing.

To mark the royal occasion of the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort my home town of Abingdon-on-Thames held a bun throwing event in the Market Place on Sunday 7th May.

Abingdon holds bun throwing event to mark, mostly, special royal occasions. The bun throw for the Coronation of King Charles III was the 37th bun throwing in Abingdon since 1761. It was the 17th bun throwing held in my lifetime - I've attended all of them since 1981.

I managed to grab one currant bun on this occasion

Abingdon Bun Throwing for the Coronation of King Charles III

Details of the bun throwing to mark the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla.

The Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May 2023.

To mark the royal occasion my home town of Abingdon-on-Thames will be holding a bun throwing event in the Market Place at 4pm on Sunday 7th May.

The last bun throwing event was held to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Sunday 5th June 2022. 5,000 currant buns were thrown to the crowd in the Market Place and High Street below as part of the tradition that dates back to 1761.

Platinum Jubilee Bun Throwing in Abingdon, 2022

The bun throw for the Coronation of King Charles III will be the 37th Bun Throwing in Abingdon since 1761. The town holds the event to mark, mostly, special royal occasions.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion

It'll be the 17th bun throwing held in my lifetime.

You can find out more about Abingdon Bun Throwing events on my other blog - the World of Bun Throwing.

Abingdon Bun Throwing - Sunday 5th June 2022

The next Bun Throwing event will be held in Abingdon to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on Sunday 5th June 2022.

The first bun is due to be thrown from the top of the old county hall at 5pm.

There will be entertainment from a band and the town's Morris Dancers from 4pm.

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The town celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a Bun Throwing back in 2012.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion 

This will be the 16th Bun Throwing event in my lifetime. I've been to them all so far.

Visit the Abingdon Town Council website for more information on the jubilee events.

Abingdon Bun Throwing to be held on Sunday 5th June 2022

There will be a Bun Throwing to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee this year.

Abingdon Town Council has announced that a Bun Throwing event will be held in the town to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on Sunday 5th June 2022.

The town celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a Bun Throwing back in 2012.

Currant buns from the bun throwing that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012. A total of 6,000 buns were thrown on that occasion 

The last bun throwing held in the town to date was in 2018 to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War. That bun throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The tradition sees the mayor and other dignitaries climb to the top of the old County Hall to throw hundreds or thousands of currant buns down to the townsfolk gathered in the market place below.

Visit the Abingdon Town Council website for more information on the jubilee events.

Crazy Golf at Millets Farm near Abingdon

I've found out there's a Crazy Golf course at Millets Farm Centre near my hometown of Abingdon in Oxfordshire.

The Crazy Golf course is part of the Maize Maze attraction part of Millets Farm Centre in Frilford, near Abingdon.

I haven't been to Millets Farm for years, but have got lots of great memories of visiting with my family when I was growing up. It was brilliant fun doing Pick Your Own and going on the tractor rides there.

It'll be nice to revisit and have a game on the Crazy Golf course as part of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Visit the Millets Farm Centre website for more information.

Social distancing signs in Abingdon's Market Place

I've been documenting the Covid-19 social distancing signs I've seen during the coronavirus pandemic here and on my Instagram.

The ones in my home town's Market Place are nice and clear. They also include the Abingdon-on-Thames town crest which I think is a nice touch.

The Market Place is famous as the location for Bun Throwing and the starting point for the Michaelmas Fair. Both events normally see thousands of people pack in or pass through to be a part of the occasions.

Picture Postcard Magic - Abingdon-on-Thames

Check out my latest guest post on the Picture Postcard Magic blog from Reflections of a Bygone Age. It's about my home town of Abingdon.

The A-Z of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Together with my brother Christopher we've visited a total of 973 miniature golf courses around the world since September 2006.

A hole on the Crazy Golf course at Ancaster Karting in Grantham, Lincolnshire

Emily and I have been to 948 courses while Christopher has been to 34 on his own branch of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've been to nine of the 34 Christopher's visited.

A for Abingdon

The first minigolf course that Christopher and I ever played was the Crazy Golf course at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

The Crazy Golf course at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames

Sadly that course was closed and removed at the end of the 2016 season.

Z for Zeltingen-Rachtig

In 2018 Christopher visited a number of courses during a cycling trip in the Mosel Valley, Germany. One of those was the Beton Minigolf course in Zeltingen-Rachtig.

The Beton / Concrete Minigolf course in Zeltingen-Rachtig, Germany

Together we've visited minigolf courses in 18 overseas countries:

1. Australia
2. Austria
3. Belgium
4. Croatia
5. Finland
6. France
7. Hong Kong
8. Indonesia
9. Italy
10. Luxembourg
11. Netherlands
12. New Zealand
13. Poland
14. Singapore
15. Spain
16. Sweden
17. Turkey
18. USA

Within the British Isles we've been to courses in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic we were closing in on visiting the final 40 courses of the original 600 we set out to play in 2006.

Check out our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour page for the list of, and links to, all of the courses visited on our travels.

Do let us know if there's a minigolf course out there that you think we should play once the world is again open for business.

The World Bun Throwing Championships

A look back at the World Bun Throwing Championships held in Abingdon-on-Thames in 2012.

My home town has a very quirky tradition called bun throwing.

Townsfolk gather in the market place and attempt to catch currant buns thrown by the Mayor and other dignitaries from the top of the old County Hall.

The event dates back to 1761 when a bread dole / bun throw was held in the town to celebrate the coronation of King George III.

Since that first event there have been a further 34 bun throwings in the town. I've attended all of the bun throwings held in my lifetime.

In April 2012 the inaugural World Bun Throwing Championships were held to find the town's best bun throwers who would be invited to become bun throwers on the big day.

Throwing a currant bun at the World Bun Throwing Championships at Abingdon Vale Cricket Club

I was the second person from the town to step-up for a throw and had selected four fine currant buns for my attempt at the title. After a couple of throws between the 18 and 21 metre marks I hit a personal best of 25m 10cm to set (and temporarily hold) the new World Record and clubhouse lead. In the event report on the excellent Abingdon Blog, it's noted that the World Record was broken a number of times in this inaugural event!

I wonder when it will be possible to hold another bun throwing event?

As a mass gathering and celebration event it'd be nice to think a bun throwing could be held to mark the safe ending of the coronavirus pandemic once a vaccine is created, distributed and working.

Visit my World of Bun Throwing blog for more information.

World of Bun Throwing: A visit to Abingdon's County Hall Museum

World of Bun Throwing: A visit to Abingdon's County Hall Museum: On Saturday we were back in my home town and visited the County Hall Museum.

Check out the full post from our visit on my World of Bun Throwing blog.

Lost minigolf courses - Abingdon Crazy Golf

A look back at the old Crazy Golf course at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames.

One of the courses we've visited and played on our travels but has since become a 'lost' course was the 10-hole Crazy Golf layout at the Abbey Meadows in my home town of Abingdon.

The course was the first one I ever played way back in the early 1980's.

The course had been in the park since the 1950's but was removed at the end of the 2016 season as part of renovations to the area.

It's always sad to see an old miniature golf course removed. Especially so when it's not even replaced by a new one.

The last hole of the first course I ever played

In August 2007 the course became the 31st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing hole 5 in 2007

Playing hole 5 in 2012

Playing hole 5 for the very last time in 2016

We also revisited in June 2012 and December 2014.

The course was very mossy in 2014

Bun Throwing in Abingdon-on-Thames

It's been a year since Abingdon's last Bun Throwing event.

Last November my home town of Abingdon marked 100 years since the end of the First World War with a special Bun Throwing event in the market place.

Abingdon has a curious tradition of bun throwing

The Bun Throwing was the 35th event since 1761.

The first marked the Coronation of King George III. The last Bun Throwing held before the 2018 event was to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday in 2016.

I have attended each Bun Throwing in Abingdon in my lifetime, a total of 15 since 1981.

Related blog posts:
- A year since Abingdon's last Bun Throwing event
- Abingdon-on-Thames Bun Throwing timeline - 1761 to 2018

Abingdon Bun Throwing on the 10th November 2018

Check out my post about my home town of Abingdon's latest Bun Throwing event over on my other blog at the World of Bun Throwing.

Bun Throwing in Abingdon

The latest in a long line of Bun Throwing events took place in Abingdon-on-Thames at 2pm on Saturday 10th November.

The special Bun Throwing brought people together to commemorate the end of the hostilities of World War One and celebrated the return of the soldiers at the end of the conflict.

Abingdon to host first-ever World Championship Egg and Spoon Race

First-ever World Championship Egg and Spoon Race to take place in Abingdon.

My home town of Abingdon-on-Thames is famous for its curious tradition of Bun Throwing, but this year a new World Title will be contested in the town's Abbey Gardens over the Easter weekend - the World Championship Egg & Spoon Race!

A world championship winning egg in 2012

A view of the Abbey Grounds on a frosty December day in 2014

I'm quite tempted to enter the event as I have a bit of a pedigree in egg and odd athletics based sports. In 2012 Jas Kukielka and I won the World Alternative Games Egg Throwing Championship in Wales and I also took part in the first-ever Ripping Yarns Hopathon in London. The World Championship Egg & Spoon Race title - and trophy presumably - would be a great addition to my sporting CV.

En route to an egg-based world title victory in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales

In a hopping race on Hampstead Heath

Abingdon's World Championship Egg & Spoon Race has been inspired by Paul Gustafson, the award winning local author of the children’s ‘Eggbert’s Adventure’ books.

Many thanks to my mate Adam Dewar for letting me know about the event which is taking place on Saturday 15th April. Further details are available on the Visit Abingdon website.

Link:
- Visit Abingdon website

Related blog posts:
- Abingdon
- Eggs

Amaze Miniature Park and a model village of Abingdon

Abingdon in Miniature and a minigolf course.

My mum and dad read about a model village in Australia based on Abingdon in Wednesday's Oxford Mail. Amaze Miniature Park in Western Australia also has a minigolf course.

Among the town landmarks featured at Amaze Miniature Park are the County Hall Museum (from which buns are thrown on special occasions), St Nicholas Church and the Old Anchor Inn.

Abingdon's County Hall and Museum during the last Bun Throwing

I grew up in Abingdon (renamed Abingdon-on-Thames in February 2012) and always revisit the town to take part in the Bun Throwing spectacle.

Check out the story about Amaze Miniature Park (formerly Abingdon Miniature Village) near Mandurah in Western Australia on the Oxford Mail website.

It's funny that Amaze Miniature Park has a minigolf course too as the Crazy Golf course in Abingdon's Abbey Meadows closed at the end of last season following many many years of use.

A photo taken on my very last visit to the very first Crazy Golf course I ever played

Emily has played the Glow Golf indoor minigolf course in Melbourne, Australia. If we both visit the country in the future we'll have to visit Amaze Miniature Park.

Links:
- Amaze Miniature Park
- World of Bun Throwing

Related blog posts:
- Abingdon
- Australia
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Model Village
- Last visit to Abingdon's Crazy Golf course
- Photos of Abingdon's Crazy Golf course
- Crazy Golf in Abingdon, Oxfordshire

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