Home from home

[shewhomust]

We drove right across England, from the north east to the western borders, to find ourselves back in sheep-rearing, coal-mining country.

And more. Our plan for yesterday was a lazy Sunday morning, a visit to K, who is in the orthopaedic hospital near Oswestry in the afternoon. Having no better idea, we filled the gap between the two with a gentle stroll round Oswestry. "Oswestry, a historic Shropshire market town almost surrounded by Wales," promises the 'visit Oswestry' website. This doesn't mention either of the things that most intrigued me.

First, as we drove into town, we passed the church of Saint Oswald. I think of Oswald as a Northumbrian saint (and king), and that's not wrong, but it turns out that he was not, as I assumed, killed at the battle of Heavenfield (near the Wall). He won that battle, defeating King Penda there, and was killed in the rematch here (they have a miraculous well to prove it). The town is named Oswestry fo Oswald ("Oswald's tree", apparently).

It is also the birthplace of Wilfred Owen, though it's only now in the comfort of my own computer that I realise that he never lived there as an adult, which my explain why we encountered so few traces on the streets (though there is a walking tour which manges to find some connections.

And, as promised, it is a market town with an independent bookshop and some interesting old buildings. We lunched at the Beech Tree café, and would happily do o again. I'm hoping to return on Wednesday, which is market day, and explore more of Oswestry's street art.

On our way home, forewarned, I made durham_rambler pull in for a better look at a building that had caught my eye on the outward journey: red-brick, Arts & Crafts inflected, pointed tower... It turned out to be the Quinta Sunday Scool, and while I don't have a photo I'd want to post here (high walls, intrusive hedges, sun in the wrong place), there does seem to be a whole lot of history behind the estate, including a private (mineral) railway line and a stone circle (early Victorian). So well worth the stop.