A long tradition

In 1944, The Friends of Abingdon saved several of the support buildings of the ancient Abingdon Abbey from destruction. Over many years the society has kept faith with the intentions of the founders and the buildings have been carefully maintained and are in regular use by the community. They have now secured a grant to start work on a project that will prevent the Buildings falling into disrepair in the coming years and to make them more suitable for modern community use. There is extensive information about the Buildings and their history via the Friends of Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust website here.

In 1970, the idea of holding a Craft Fair in the buildings began with small local craftworkers and grew to be a widely-loved event bringing our enthusiasts into the town from towns and villages in the surrounding counties.

Over the years the event has been run by volunteers and later by professional operators. Since 2017 it has been run by Mushroom Communications which has now joined up with Abingdon Events Partnership Ltd to deliver the Craft Fair annually.

When building work starts in 2026 the Craft Fair will temporarily seek an alternative venue until the Abbey Buildings is available once again.