The River Room was open at St Ethelwold’s House. In the River Room, there is a Visitors Book. Here is a small and quite typical selection.

‘An amazing retreat to stumble across in Abingdon. I can’t believe I never knew this was here.’

‘I lived in Abingdon from 1964 to 67. I can’t believe I’d never been here before. Wonderful. I’ve done some knitting.’

‘I’m so glad I walked into this fabulous setting. Spring has finally started to do its magic, and flowers are coming up. The birds are singing, and I can watch the geese and riverboats. It’s a site for sore eyes after the harsh winter months.’

‘What’s a lovely place to stumble upon. We are studying at Oxford and decided to take a little day trip to explore Abingdon during our Christmas holidays. What a lovely place.’

‘Stumbled across the lovely garden. So tranquil.’

‘Thank you to all the people who make this what it is. It’s a beautiful place. Restores my soul.’

‘It’s my great joy that I was joined for about five minutes by a Kingfisher on one of the poles.’

When I left, I saw one of the volunteer gardeners cutting back plants, a visitor sitting on a bench enjoying the October sunshine, and a dragonfly resting on a garden table.