Oswestry is a popular Market Town close to the border of North Wales and is steeped in history and mythology. Over the centuries, this once walled town has been under attack many times, and many buildings were destroyed by these ravages.
The history and character of Oswestry has been shaped by its position as border town.
Its close proximity to Wales is reflected in many of the place names in and around Oswestry, and it has given the town a unique dual-culture of Welsh and English origin. Today its location and bustling markets attract shoppers and farmers from both sides of the border.
The history and development of the town are traced with photographs, maps, drawings, and modern day footage, which shows how the town has changed.
The topics covered by this video include:
Iron Age Hill Fort - "Old Oswestry".
* Wats Dyke and Offas Dyke.
* St. Oswald's Church.
* Battles and Castles.
* The Town Wall.
* The Black Death Plague.
* The Welsh Cloth Plague.
* The Town's Guildhall.
* Education - Oswestry's Schools.
* Hospitals.
* Markets.
* The Railway.
* Old Racecourse.
Written by Leslie Oppitz.
Towns and Villages Arounnd Oswestry
This video takes you on a tour of the many charming towns and villages through The Marches area that surround Oswestry, visiting sites where castles once stood, calling at schools, churches, public houses and stately homes - and even hearing an occasional ghostly tale!
The Domesday Book, written for William the Conqueror, records that the whole district was once 'wasteland', ravaged by fighting between the English and the Welsh, long before the Normans arrived. It is this so-called 'waste' area that we shall visit.
No longer are the surrounds of Oswestry ravaged country, they have grown into charming villages and settlements, along valleys or by rivers and brooks, where people have come together in communities.
Places visited include:
Ellesmere, St. Martins, Gobowen, Whittington, West Felton, Maesbury, Knockin, Kinnerley, Maesbrook, Melverley, Llanymynech, Pant, llanyblodwel, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Llansilin, Trefonen, Hengoed, Selattyn, Chirk.
'The Towns and Villages around Oswestry' will appeal to people of all ages and is a unique opportunity to reflect upon the changing face of these many charming places. |
