Park recalls MG glory days

A large MG logo has been unveiled in the Drayton Road development, and benches, paths, landscaping and information boards will soon be added.

Abingdon Town Council owns the land and is giving up to £10,000 towards the project, with the remainder from the nearby MG Car Club in Kimber House.

The park has been created to celebrate the car makers’ history in the town, and will be officially opened in the Spring.

MG Car Club general manager Julian White said: “The MG Park is a hugely exciting project and bolsters the burgeoning MG presence in Abingdon.

“The club has worked closely with Abingdon Town Council to ensure this initiative gatheres momentum, and the implementation of the MG logo really is terrific.

“More exciting projects are planned for the future, as we seek to provide the best possible experience for enthusiasts visiting the spiritual home of MG.”

Club spokesman Chris Seaward said: “This is hugely exciting for us. Especially as it is so close to the club.

“We get visitors from all over the world and it will be great to give them something extra. And with the brickwork complete it is now an MG garden, rather than just a plot of land.”

Tony Legge, from the Friends of Abingdon community group, said: “We do get a lot of visitors from overseas who want to see something in Abingdon.

“It is a bit embarrassing that there is nothing about MG in the town, but this will put that right.”

Town council leader Lesley Legge said: “Putting in the MG logo is what was needed to set the scene.

“It will be nice to have somewhere near to where the factory was, so we can celebrate what made Abingdon famous in the last century. But it is still a work in progress.”

Sandy Lovatt, Abingdon North member for Oxfordshire County Council, was less enthusiastic. He said: “It is an attractive piece of land that needs to be made more pleasant, but it is the cost I object to.”

Abingdon firm Creative Driveways laid down brickwork and charged for materials only.