War poet Wilfred Owen's Shropshire home gets listed status
It was the home where Wilfred Owen lived and developed his love of poetry.
And now this ordinary-looking semi-detached house in Monkmoor Road, Shrewsbury, has been given special protection by conservation body English Heritage.
It has awarded Grade II listed status to Number 69, confirming it is of national importance.
The house was built in 1910 and became the Owen family's home during his teenage years.
It was the last permanent home he had before he was killed, aged 25, in action in France days before the war ended in 1918.
The move to protect his family home has been welcomed both by admirers of Owen's poetry and his relatives.
Peter Owen – nephew of Wilfred and president of the Wilfred Owen Association, said: "It is an extremely good idea.
"It means that nothing can be done to it without permission. I think it is really amazing that they are listing the building – they don't do it every day of the year."
Helen McPhail, member and former chairman of the Wilfred Owen Association, said she was delighted that the house was being given protection by English Heritage.
At one point it was converted into separate rooms which were rented out but she said the current owners had restored it to a condition similar to the one it was in during the Owen family's residence. Owen was born in at Plas Wilmot, Oswestry, in 1893 and moved with his family to Shrewsbury in 1910. The Owen family continued to live at Monkmoor Road until 1925.
"The present owners have restored it very much to how it would have looked, they have wallpaper and restored the fireplace and things like that," said Mrs McPhail, who has written widely on the poet.
"I think it is important to have it protected," she added. "Owen had the most important part of his education here and his life in Shrewsbury very much shaped his view of the world – he really is a part of Shrewsbury."
Owen's poetry became famous only after his death, and he is considered one of the most important war poets.
