The Friends of Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust (Registered Charity No. 1183398) owns and manages a range of medieval buildings, the remains of the domestic buildings of Abingdon Abbey, which are Grade 1 listed and a scheduled monument. Our predecessor charity saved the buildings from threatened demolition some 75 years ago and we have recently re-formed as a CIO with ambitious plans to safeguard them for future generations.
The Abbey Buildings, located in Abingdon town centre, are the remains of the great, medieval Abbey of Abingdon. A place at the heart of the town’s history, they were saved from demolition by the Friends in 1944. The Trust has maintained them since with only limited outside support. The Buildings are an important community facility for Abingdon. They contain the only performance venue in the town centre, the Unicorn Theatre, and other atmospheric spaces, and host a wide range of activities including weddings, festivals, amateur dramatics, concerts and after a 30-year absence, the revival of cinema. We also open to the public during the summer months and run educational programmes and visits for schools.
We are currently embarking on a major enhancement project to secure the Buildings for future generations and make them more accessible to visitors and as a venue for events.
