Oswestry Market on the Bailey Head was first introduced to Oswestry in 1262 by Royal

Charter. On 9th and 10th September, Oswestry Market will be having a Special Heritage Market: there will be traditional dancing on the market square, traders selling all sorts of wares including food, commodities and gifts, and as part of the event some of the regular traders will be dressing up!The regular Friday & Saturday markets as usual.

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Oswestry MarketPowis Hall Market, Bailey Head SY11 1PZ

Shrewsbury Morriswill be dancing and entertaining the crowds with their mix of vigorous stick dances from the Shrewsbury Bull and Pump Morris Men and lively, colourful dancing from the Shrewsbury Lasses.

Dorothy HarrisonA local artist who works in clay and paper. Her ceramic work is mainly based on the vessel and is smoke-fired. Would-be potters of all ages are invited to make a small clay pot to take home.

Paul will invite visiting children to help build a 1/3rd scale “Tudor house”, use Victorian apple-peeling machines to peel the apples he grows here in Shropshire and experience a whole range of other country tools and equipment.

Paul Hand Country Crafts

Oswestry Heritage Roadshow

Join Lady Chiffon, who has stepped out of 1889 from her magical time-travel teacup, for an enchanting occasion of traditional Victorian fairytale storytelling, dance, song & magic, bringing the past to the present like never before.

Oswestry Heritage ComicsCome and create a heritage comic of your own at a workshop led by creator John Swogger. Materials will be provided.Bring an object and share your stories of Oswestry’s past.See main entry on the Oswestry Heritage Gateway page.

Oswestry Town Museum

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The GuildhallBailey Head SY11 1PZ

Free entry to the museum where we tell the story of Oswestry’s rich and diverse history through its people.Find out which famous Scottish freedom fighter’s ancestors came from Oswestry.Explore our comprehensive time line which dates back 4,600 million years.See how our detailed research of the names recorded on the Oswestry High School Honours board has uncovered many interesting stories.Check what Boris Johnson's connection is with Oswestry.Visit the ‘Gilbert and Gordon’ display, see some of the letters and hear more about their lives and loves (see centre pages).2017 is part of the commemorations of the centenary of the Great War, The Museum has a number of interesting displays on Oswestry’s long military association including a copy of a diary kept by a German officer prisoner of war whilst he was in Park Hall POW camp. There will be a special display created by two students from the local Marches Secondary School during work experience week earlier this year.

The Museum is the focal point for minibus bookings, general Heritage Open Days information and tickets for entry to the free events at Park Hall.FREE minibus tours start & finish here.Destinations & timetables available from:www.oswestrytownmuseum.co.uk 01691 680241

Once again our Amateur Radio Station will be operating from the museum on Thursday and Friday 10.30am-3pm, and Saturday 10.30am-1.30pm. We will be trying to contact other radio operators across Europe and beyond. Visitors will be able to participate in the contact attempts and will redeive a card detailing any success they may have.

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4th-22nd September 2017

Oswestry Castle The Fifth Exploratory Dig

This year we are excavating one large trench on top of the castle mound to continue our on-going research and greatly extend our knowledge of the recently-discovered Anglo Norman keep. The questions we are asking this year are:Does the keep have corner buttresses?We have previously found evidence for two possible corner buttress and need to confirm this by excavating a third corner of the keep. Where is the entrance to the keep? Most original entrances to this type of keep are on the first floor, reached by a set of stone or timber external stairs. Geophysical survey suggests that we may have the remains of the base of such a feature within our new trench.What was the overall layout of the walls?We already have the location of three sides of the keep but need to locate the fourth side to complete our ground plan of the keep. This will allow us to create a floor plan of the castle which will help us reconstruct the arrangement of external and internal walls.

Pictures from previous digs

Kinokulture, 9 Arthur Street SY11 1JN

9 Arthur Street SY11 1JN5 KinoKulture

www.kinokulture.org.uk

www.kinokulture.org.uk

The Willow Community Garden

This year our annual Vintage Garden Party will take on a railways theme to tie in with our free film screening.The Garden Party will have stalls, tea & cake, children’s entertainment & children’s story time.

“Read All About It”Newspapers and Oswestry History.Display on the History of Oswestry Newspapers.Exhibition of Hard Copy Newspapers dating from 1840s to the current day.Demonstration of Newspapers from the Microfiche Collection.Introduction to theNational Newspaper Archive on the Web.Saturday 9th: A talk by Colin Channon on life as a newspaper editor. Please contact Oswestry Library nearer the time for more details 01743 250351

Oswestry Town Council ArchivesDisplay available to view during normal opening hours over the Heritage Open Days weekend.

“Britain On Film: Railways” (U)2:00pm-3:30pmOnce again for National Heritage Open Days we are pleased to present a FREE archive film screening.Your chance to travel back to a time when travelling by rail was comfortable, punctual and maybe even glamorous!One of the programmes from ICO’s new archive tour, “Britain on Film: Railways”, is a major new collection of rare archive films charting the history of the UK’s railways and bringing home the romance and heady freedoms offered by train travel as it expanded across the country in the early 20th century. Sourced from the national and regional archives and newly digitised, “Britain on Film: Railways” is an immensely nostalgic and evocative collection of films which document not just the glories of the railway, but also the changing social, political and economic climates of the 20th century.Please note: the programme contains a sequence of flashing lights which might affect audience members with photosensitive epilepsy.Advance Free Tickets can be booked at www.kinokulture.org.uk or 01691 238167

“Rolling Pins At Dawn”Oswestry Heritage Bake-Off Film 20164.40pm-5.40pm See right for details.

Oswestry Library@oswestrylibrary oswestrylibrary

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Kinokulture, 9 Arthur Street SY11 1JNwww.kinokulture.org.uk

Old Oswestry Sunset WalkOld Oswestry, one of Britain's finest and best-preserved examples of a multi-vallate hillfort, has a history that extends many hundreds of years to at least the Neolithic period (over 5000 years ago).In this walk and talk, archæologist Dr George Nash will place the hillfort into a wider archæological context, making use of new research.Meet at the hillfort’s western entrance. The walk will cover uneven and, in parts, hilly terrain, so wear sensible footwear and take care.

Old Oswestry and Park Hall CampA shared landscape of 20th century war.It is now 100 years since the dank trenches of the Western Front during World War 1 were at stalemate. But where does the concept of trench warfare originate and what training was given to British and Allied troops during the bloodiest of the 20th century wars? In this talk, Dr George Nash will shed light on the emergence of Oswestry’s Park Hall Military Camp as one of the country’s busiest WW1 training sites. He will also discuss the use of Old Oswestry hillfort as part of the camp’s training area and tell some of the stories of its role during this time.

“Rolling Pins At Dawn”The Oswestry Heritage Bake-Off film. FREE As part of last year’s Heritage Open Days, Oswestry filmed all the drama, gaffs and innuendo of its very own bake-off during a frenetic 24 hours at North Shropshire College and Oswestry Castle Bank. With a stellar cast of local talent who rose to the occasion like the stunning cakes created, this is film-maker Joey Edwards’ heart-warming story of a community pulling together to celebrate its heritage. Relive the icing mishaps and soggy bottoms in this special free screening, in association with Oswestry Heritage Gateway.

Oswestry Heritage Roadshow in the Bailey Head market

Bring an object and share your stories of Oswestry’s past.In his year-long Oswestry Heritage Comics project, John Swogger is exploring Oswestry’s diverse and dramatic history in a series of comics being serialised in the Oswestry Advertizer.Now you can add your story to this fascinating tableau and help shape forthcoming themes in the series which runs to June 2018. Bring a treasured object, heirloom, photo, postcard or letter and share your memory on film/audio recordings. These will be made into digital content to feature in a future Oswestry Heritage Comics exhibition.

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Oswestry Heritage Comics workshopCreate a heritage comic of your own at a workshop led by John Swogger. Materials will be provided.

Supported by the Oswestry Heritage Gateway

Hermon Chapel, Chapel Street SY11 1LF

Qube, Oswestrywww.qube-oca.org.uk01691 656882 | info@qube-oca.org.uk

Launching in Armistice week 2017,the Men on the Gates website will tell the

stories of the Men listed on the Oswestry WarMemorial Gates in Cae Glas Park.

Join us for an exclusive preview of the website,where project researcher, John Davies will be

on hand to discuss the research so far.

, 10am - 3pm

Qube, Oswald Road, Oswestry, SY11 1RB

MEN GATESONTHE

Website Preview & Exhibition

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Oswestry Visitor & Exhibition Centre SY11 2TEThe Centre occupies the old Grammar school, first built in 1407. It is now home to a café, a permanent display on Wilfred Owen and a delightful court-yard garden. Guided Town Tour 11am, Saturday. Starting from the Visitor Centre and lasting approx. 1 hour.Free Tour: max. 10 people so booking is advisable. ot@oswestry-welshborders.org.ukor 01691 662753

Oswestry & Border History & Archæology Group

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Methodist Church Hall1 Chapel St, Oswestry SY11 1LF

‘Tourism and Cultural Identity in C19th Llangollen’A talk by Sandy Best, Journalist and Historian

The Cambrian Railways Museum exhibits memorabilia associated with the railway system operated by the Cambrian Railways Company and its successors, together with other items of railway interest.Housed in a former goods depot constructed in the 1860s, it tells something of the history of a railway system that, in its heyday, extended to almost 300 route miles largely in Wales, stretching from Whitchurch in the east to Aberystwyth in the west and from Pwllheli in the north to Brecon in the south.World War 1 Exhibition commemorating the workers of the Cambrian Railways that fought in the Great War.

Cambrian Heritage RailwaysCambrian Heritage Railways

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Stone Heads and Demons SY10 7LYA tour of The Pentre, BronygarthThe Pentre is a mediæval house protected from Demons and Witches by ancient stone heads and ritual objects hidden in the structure hundreds of years ago. This three-story stone and timber house is built over a much older core, with massive reused internal timber framing, a vaulted cellar and huge stone and carved oak fireplaces.New for 2017: Display of sculpture by local artist Judy Greaves.Please note we have lots of steps, but we will do our best to accommodate everyone where possible.Booking essential please contact emailhelenlloyd@gmail.com or 01691 662692

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'Disguise' by Judy Greaves

This is a public art project inspired by the love letters exchanged between WWII soldiers Infantryman Gordon Bowsher and his lover, Oswestry-based Gunner Gilbert Bradley. The letters were discovered by Mark Hignett of Oswestry Town Museum.Led by Olivia Winteringham, the project will be the creation, cremation and transformation of love letters from ink to ash to diamond. Commissioned by Heritage Open Days with funding from Players of People’s Postcode Lottery, in collaboration with Oswestry Town Museum and with support from the Shrewsbury LGBT History Festival. Timetable of Key EventsThursday 7th September 12pmFlame-Lighting Ceremony with former Flight Lieutenant Caroline Paige, the first openly transgender officer to serve in the British Armed Forces. Presentation of first commemorative badge, designed by Lee Hearne.Saturday 9th September 2pm – 3.30pmSee the letters up close and personal with a talk from curator Mark Hignett, Oswestry Town MuseumSunday 10th September 7.41pmFlame-Extinguishing CeremonyKeep an eye out for announcements of our other Gilbert & Gordon events over the weekend.We’re inviting the public to compose love letters that will feed a memorial flame of remembrance. After the closing ceremony, the ashes will be gathered and transformed into a commemorative diamond set into a beautiful, inscribed ring designed by jeweller Ami Pepper. The ring will be presented to the Oswestry Town Museum as a lasting legacy of the project.Olivia Winteringham, who is from the Birmingham-based artist collective KILN, explains, ‘We hope this ring will serve not just as a symbol of the diversity of love felt in 2017 but also for the love that many LGBTQ people, like Gilbert & Gordon, were never legally allowed to express in their lifetimes.’

National Heritage Open Days Unsung Stories

GILBERT & GORDON at Oswestry Town Museum“Then all the world could see how in love we are”

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“Gilbert & Gordon” letter writers at the Oswestry County Show Amanda and Edward Geoff and Peter Mel and Cyril

Artist Olivia Winteringham

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The project borrows its title from an extraordinarily poignant and prescient line in one of Gordon’s letters to Gilbert: “Wouldn't it be wonderful if all our letters could be published in the future in a more enlightened time. Then all the world could see how in love we are.” ‘Perhaps that time is now?’, says Olivia. ‘Through this project I wanted to create something beautiful and precious that pays tribute to the love between these two men and that “all the world could see”. I wanted to do this by inviting the participation of the public in a meaningful way. So the process of writing, burning and transforming love letters into a precious diamond seemed utterly appropriate. The reason for burning love letters is no accident either. It’s an incredible privilege to read Gordon’s love letters and I wanted to pay respect to that in some way.’ “… do one thing for me in deadly seriousness. I want all my letters destroyed. Please darling do this for me. Till then and forever I worship you.” ‘So by burning love letters I want to simultaneously honour Gordon’s request, and to use the destructive, yet transformative power of fire to create a work of art. Once the ring is complete I hope it will serve as an enduring and positive symbol of commitment and unity and of the diversity of love within our communities.

Your love letter may be written or dedicated to a loved one living or dead. You may wish to write to a lover, a dear friend, a family member or relatives, an old flame, the one that got away, the one that left, the one that broke your heart, the one that never knew.You are free to write from your heart, your head, your gut. You may wish to write your love letter as a stream of consciousness, a heartfelt poem, a collection of words, symbols or marks.You may wish to write your love letter in pen, pencil, wax, invisible ink, imaginary ink, fingerprints, dust, soil or symbols. You can carve it into the paper with a pin. You may decided to write it in English, Scots, Cymraeg, Gaeilge, Latin, French, Polari, your native tongue, a language of your own inventionWe will not censor your love letter. You do not have to name your recipient. You do not have to sign your name. Your love letter can be anonymous. You may wish to enclose your love letter in an envelope, fold and seal it with glue or leave it open.’

“The belief that history belongs to all of us has always been at the heart of Heritage Open Days, England’s biggest festival of history. This year, thanks to additional funding by Players of People’s Postcode Lottery, the festival is focusing on LGBTQ heritage, with a series of newly-commissioned, community-focused arts events, collectively known as Unsung Stories.”Annie Reilly, Heritage Open Days Manager

The Trenches Experience@ Park Hall SY11 4AS

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Over the HOD weekend our trenches will be manned by members of the Royal Warwicks 1914-18 Living History Group who, following the success of their last visit, will once again be living in the trenches.Come and take a stroll through replica WWI trenches manned by soldiers in period costume and with all the equipment you might have seen in WWI.This will be a fully interactive experience for all our visitors - Read the harrowing account of a local soldier’s life in the trenches in 1917 from the letters he wrote home.Find out what Walt Disney did in WWI.Which soldier with an unusual background did Wilfred Owen meet at Craiglochart and why was he not mentioned on the memorial at Cambridge?

FREE ENTRY to the Trenches ExperienceFor further details contact Mark on 01691 680241 or 01948 781079

The Tanat Valley Light RailwayAnd Vistor Centre

Railway rides, museum, limekilns, Picnic Areas and woodland walks

Free parking or catch the FREE minibus from Oswestry on Saturday and Sunday.For more information please visitnantmawrvisitorcentre.co.ukor phone Mark on 01691 780042

Heritage Open Day Specials ALL FREEFREE monorail rides - NEW FOR 2017FREE refreshmentsVisit the home of the Richard Morris Collection, one of the biggest monorail collections in preservation. Ride our short demonstration track new for 2017. See the work being done to preserve and restore this unique heritage collection. See what is reputed to be the only true steam monorail engine in the world (the Steam Mono Loco is currently undergoing restoration and will be available to view only) A fantastic addition for 2017The Richard Morris Collection also features a number of other small gauge railway vehicles, mining wagons, a narrow gauge Wickham, and the unique ‘Rail Taxi’, a BMW Isetta bubble car fitted with railway wheels and a front bogie.Loads to see and do.Open all 4 Heritage Open Days 10am–5pm each day.

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Park HallCountryside Experience SY11 4AS01691 671123

Regular hands-on animal activities, two massive playbarns, lots of outdoor play and driving activities - there is never a dull moment for the kids. Museum, activities, exhibitions and beautiful countryside.

Visit the Victorian School, Welsh Guards Collection and Iron Age Roundhouse FREE of charge, but

PLEASE NOTE - these three displays are FREE, but you will still need a ticket. Free entry tickets available on the minibus or from the Guildhall.

A magniicent display of the 100-year history of the Welsh Guards, showing a collection of uniforms, artefacts and memorabilia.

Gain an insight into life in the Iron Age with a visit to the Roundhouse

Step back in time to visit a classroom of the Victorian Era

Welsh Guards Museum

iron Age roundhouse

Victorian School & Museum

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Llanymynech Wharf to Vyrnwy Aqueduct SY22 6EA Come and join a seasoned walks leader who will bring to life the history of this stretch of the Montgomery Canal. Learn about the wharf in its heyday and what makes Carreghofa locks so special. Discover the “ghost” aqueduct. This walk is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the restoration of the Montgomery canal.Starting point: Llanymynech Wharf Visitor Centre car park. SY22 6EA.Getting there: Free bus from Oswestry Guildhall (last bus from Llanymynech around 4pm). If you use your car, please park eitherr at village car park behind the Dolphin Inn by the canal or on the north side of the B4398 road. Booking recommended: call 07787508635 or email Sylvia.Edwards@canalrivertrust.org.ukBooking opens: 22 August 10amBooking closes: 8 September 2pm

Saturday & Sunday. Guided walks around the Llanymynech lime kilns, associated tramways, structures and other buildings, together with the adjacent quarries. These form a particularly well-preserved and complete group of structures relating to a Victorian industry. In particular, the Hoffmann Kiln represents the best preserved example of its type in England.Additionally, on Sunday, the facsimile lime kiln will be fired and there will be demonstrations of lime slaking throughout the afternoon.

Llanymynech Wharf Visitor Centre SY22 6EASunday onlyFree ½ hour boat trips aboard the ‘George Watson Buck’ along this restored length of the Montgomery Canal. The Visitor Centre is housed in the Stables of the old Sun Inn (now demolished).

Llanymynech Heritage Area & Wharf SY22 6EA

Montgomery CanalCanal & River Trust

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Rednal Canal Warehouse SY11 4ASRednal Canal Warehouse tells the story of the Montgomery Canal. The warehouse was a delivery and collection point for Shropshire Union Fly-boats, with a crane and storage facilities; its unique signal system would tell boats whether to stop. Here passengers from the Shrewsbury-Chester Railway could board a boat to travel to Newtown before the railway went that far. Next to the warehouse is the canal’s only turnover bridge where a horse towing a boat could cross the canal without unhitching. Nearby is a basin which was the goods interchange with the adjoining railway.The canal at Rednal has been restored and restoration continues further down the canal, seewww.RestoreTheMontgomeryCanal.uk. Rednal Canal Warehouse is being opened by kind permission of the Canal & River Trust.

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St. Oswald’s Church, Oswestry SY11 2SYThe church has been at the centre of the life of the town since the C11th. It contains much of interest including the Yale Memorial, a C17th painted triptych, old and modern stained glass and the St George’s Chapel War Memorial.The church is open on Thursday, Friday and allweekend. Sunday visitors are very welcome to join us at Communion services at 8am and 10.30am and Choral Evensong at 6.30pm.On the 300th anniversary of the bells, the bell ringers are delighted to be offering:A Bell Ringing Demonstration and tour The first lucky 10 applicants will have a full demonstration of bell ringing and a tour of the tower and its bells, following the ringing in of National Heritage Open Days on the Thursday. Be sure to book your place in advance.Mini RingA set of mini bells will be inside the main body of the church, enabling visitors to see demonstrations of bell ringing and to have a go themselves. These should be available from Wednesday 6th onward. Please contact us nearer the time for details.

The Churchesfeatured this year

Bell Tower OpenThe tower will be open to visitors on the Saturday. Visit the ringing chamber, the belfry and the roof for the spectacular view. Please note that all visitors should be reasonably able as this involves up to 100 steps, some of which are uneven. We regret that it is almost impossible to provide access for wheelchair users.For booking please contact Brian Rothera - brianrothera1@gmail.com or 07831490038

St. Peter’s, Melverley SY10 8PJVisit this ancient, half-timbered church on the banks of the River Vyrnwy.The church will be open for all 4 Heritage Open Days, kindly organised by Sue Gittins and Lynne Lloyd. Talks on the History of the Church will take place on Saturday and Sunday between 1am and 1pm. Suitable for all ages.Parking and toilets on site and disabled access to the church. Light refreshments will be available on Saturday and Sunday only.www.melverleychurch.co.uk

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St. Michael’s, Llanyblodwel SY10 8NQGuided tours on Sunday. Sunday morning Service and Autumn Fete. Mediæval church with quirky Gothic restoration, a remarkable curved spire, and charismatic C17th & C19th wall paintings, recently conserved. Described by Pevsner as ‘bizarre but unforgettable’.Parking, mini fête & refreshments.

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The Llanfyllin Union Workhouse, known locally as Y Dolydd, is home to a project which is finding new and viable community uses for one of Wales’s most remarkable historic buildings.Built in 1839 to house up to 250 paupers from North Mongomeryshire, the workhouse blends classical grandeur with the durability of local stone and slate and is one of the finest surviving examples of its type. It was chosen to represent Wales on BBC ‘Restoration’ and was one of the Victorian Society’s Top Ten Buildings at Risk.The workhouse is owned by the Llanfyllin Dolydd Building Preservation Trust, a registered charity run and controlled by its members. They bought the building, empty and derelict, with a loan from

Lanfyllin Workhouse Y Dolydd Llanfylllin Celebrating our cross border heritage in 2017

take this special opportunity to visit LLANFYLLIN WORKHOUSE over the weekend

the Architectural Heritage Fund, now replaced by a mortgage from the Ecology Building Society.Renovation and restoration work on the building is ongoing, much of it done by volunteers using recycled materials and funded through their own efforts.Don’t miss this chance to take a mini bus trip through the spectacular Welsh countryside on your way to visit one of Wales’s most iconic buildings, and explore the Workhouse and its displays, before catching the bus back to Oswestry.Minibus Trips on Saturday and Sunday leave at 11am both days, returning by approx 1.30pm.Booking is advisable for these trips, please phone Mark on 01691 680241 or 01691 780042

How can we help? Qube

01691 656882www.qube-oca.org.uk

Oswald Road•Oswestry•SY11 1RB Charity No: 1063319