Below you will find vital details of important services from around Oswestry , including Local Authority details, Hospital and local Police force details and a guide to Oswestry town itself.
Important Information
Oswestry Town Council
The Guildhall, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 1PZ
Tel - 01691 680222
www.oswestry-tc.gov.uk
Oswestry Police Station
Park Street, Oswestry, SY11 2HE - Opening hours: 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday
Tel - 0300 333 3000 (non-emergency), 999 (emergency only)
Hospitals
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 8XQ
Tel - 01743 261000
www.sath.nhs.uk
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 7AG
Tel - 01691 404000
www.rjah.nhs.uk
Member of Parliament
Owen Paterson MP
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
020 7219 5185
www.owenpaterson.org
patersono@parliament.uk
Oswestry Town Guide
Oswestry is the third largest town in Shropshire, after Telford and Shrewsbury, with a population of approximately 18,000. It is situated about five miles from the Welsh border, and so enjoys a mixed English and Welsh heritage, with many Welsh street names and place names. During Medieval times the town was variously occupied by English and Welsh forces.
Local attractions include the Cambrian Railway Museum, Whittington Castle in nearby Whittington and Shelf Bank.
A nearby Iron Age hill fort suggests the area was occupied in the 550s BC and the Battle of Maserfield is believed to have been fought at the site in 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Penda and Oswald.
Legend has it that Oswald was killed in battle and dismembered, with one of his arms being carried to an ash tree by an eagle. Miracles were attributed to the tree as Oswald was considered a saint. A spring called Oswald’s Well is said to have started where the eagle dropped Oswald’s arm from the ash tree.
It is believed the current name of the town is derived from “Oswald’s Tree”.
Most of the town’s centre is designated a Conservation Area, with a mixture of architectural styles including many old timber framed buildings as well as fine examples of Georgian and Victorian architecture.