Share your memories of Oswestry's Cambrian Railway station and help shape historic building's future

Those in charge of the regeneration of the Cambrian Railway building in Oswestry are asking members of the public to share their memories of the station.

The Grade II listed building, originally opened in 1866, is understood to have had multiple uses since it ceased operating as a railway station in 1966.

Following many years of neglect, Shropshire Council took possession of the building in early 2023, after it had suffered storm damage the previous year. The ground floor is currently let to railway charity Cambrian Heritage Railways, and the first floor is vacant and unlet.

Shropshire councillor Dean Carroll said that he is "delighted" that work to repair the building and bring it back into use is progressing.

Urgent exterior work, funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and with match funding from Shropshire Council, is currently underway to make the exterior of the building safe and waterproof.

The engagement exercise, led by heritage specialists Donald Insall Associates on behalf of Shropshire Council, began on Tuesday.

Kate Martyn from Donald Insall Associates said: “We’re asking people, has your family worked at the station or for the railway line or travelled from there? Have you, or a family member, worked in the goods and loco sheds, or in the quarries that were served by the line?

“Do you have any recollection of the building’s uses since the railway was closed in 1966? Perhaps you remember its days as an auction house, DIY store, restaurant, tourist information centre or pharmacy, or perhaps you lived in the upstairs flats or worked in the offices.

“What makes the building important, and why? Is it because of the importance that the railways played in Oswestry’s history? Its architecture? The stories of the people who have lived and worked there over the years? Please let us know.”

Memories and stories can be submitted via the Shropshire Council website at shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/cambrian-railway-building-restoration-project.

Paper forms can also be collected from Oswestry Library and returned to the Cambrian Railway building. Photos or longer stories can be sent via email to consultancy@insall-architects.co.uk.

The organisers say that the submitted stories will be shared at a public event in the summer.