IMemorials · listed 1951Llwyd MansionOn the list as Llwyd Mansion, 1-3 Cross StreetPhoto: Tonythepixel · CC BY-SA 3.0
Llwyd Mansion, 1-3 Cross Street · Photo: Tonythepixel · CC BY-SA 3.0A−History Grade
History of Oswestry · Historic England
137 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England counts them inside Oswestry’s built-up area, 78 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 5 scheduled monuments. We have photos of 6 of its listed buildings. 22% of its homes were built before 1919. Oswestry grades A− for history: #6 of 19 in Shropshire.
Listed buildings
137
78 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
1
exceptional interest
Grade II*
4
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
5
1 registered park or garden
Homes built before 1919
22%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures
Oswestry in 8 photos and old views
Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Oswestry Castle: motte and adjoining section of the town wall immediately north east of Christ ChurchScheduled monument
Church of St OswaldGrade II* listed
White Lion InnGrade II listed
Signal Box Approximately 80 Metres South of Former Oswestry StationGrade II listed
Former Railway Works and Attached FootbridgeGrade II listed+3See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
Through time
Oswestry in old photos and maps
An old map and 0 old photos and postcards, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.
1833Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.
The map
Where Oswestry’s history is
Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park, over the age of each neighbourhood’s homes.
Grade IGrade II*Scheduled monumentPark or garden
Homes built before 1919, by neighbourhoodunder 10%10–25%25–50%50%+
1 of 11neighbourhoods have mostly pre-1919 homes; in the oldest, 67% were built before 1919.
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
137 listed buildings by grade
1 Grade I4 Grade II*132 Grade II
Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings. Neighbourhood dots: the population-weighted centre of each Census 2021 output area, coloured by its neighbourhood’s (LSOA’s) share of homes built before 1919 (Valuation Office Agency, March 2025).
Grade I
The Grade I listed building in Oswestry
Buildings of exceptional interest, about 2.5% of all listed buildings. Every one is photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
Grade II*
The 4 Grade II* listed buildings in Oswestry
Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. 2 are photographed.
II*Church · listed 1951Church of St OswaldPhoto: Daveyonthemove · CC BY-SA 3.0
II*Church · listed 1999Hermon ChapelPhoto: Daveyonthemove · CC BY-SA 3.0
House · listed 1951The Hayes
House · listed 195129, Bailey Street
Historic streets
Willow Street has the most listed buildings
Streets by the listed entries with an address on them. One entry can be a whole terrace, so long rows count once.
Willow Street14 listed
Church Street10 listed
Upper Brook Street6 listed
Cross Street5 listed
Albion Hill4 listed
Bailey Street4 listed · 1 II*
Salop Road4 listed
Leg Street3 listed
Lower Brook Street3 listed
Upper Church Street3 listed
Of the 137 entries, 69 are named by a street address; the rest are named buildings such as churches, halls and bridges.
What’s protected
Most of Oswestry’s listed buildings are homes
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Houses, terraces & villas84
Inns, shops & warehouses16
Churches, chapels & priories15
Public & civic buildings8
Walls, gates & bridges8
Memorials, crosses & tombs3
Street furniture3
84 entries (61%) are houses, terraces and villas. 15 are churches, chapels and priories.
Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Grade II
132 Grade II listed buildings
Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.
All 132 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Bellan House School with attached railingsBennion/Lewis Memorial Abutting East End of Vestry of Church of St OswaldBoar's Head InnButcher's Arms Public HouseChurch of Holy TrinityCroeswylan StoneFormer Malthouse Attached to Right Side of the Willow TreeFormer Railway Works and Attached FootbridgeGate Piers Approximately 30 Metres South of St OswaldGate Piers and Gates Aproximately 30 Metres North East of Church of St Oswald and Attached Churchyard Wall to South Gate Piers and Gates Approximately 30 Metres North East of Church of St Oswald and Attached Churchyard Wall to SouthGate pier attached to north-east corner of Bellan House School, 38, Church StreetGate pier attached to south-east corner of 36, Church StreetGateway Lodge, Gates and Associated Railings at South Entrance to Brogyntyn ParkGeorge Hotel No. 3 and Attached Former Stable BlockGoods Shed About 70 Metres South West of StationGriffin InnGroup of 7 Chest Tombs Approximately 15 Metres West of Church of St OswaldHeadmaster's House, Oswestry SchoolHunt Memorial Approximately 25 Metres North West of North Aisle of Church of St OswaldJones Memorial Approximately 2 Metres East of South Porch of Church of St OswaldJones Memorial Approximately 35 Metres West of West End of Nave of Church of St OswaldKings Head InnKingwell Community CentreLamp Approximately 4 Metres West of Tower of Church of St OswaldLlovan CottageLych Gate Approximately 30 Metres South-West of Church of St OswaldLys HouseNo. 34, Church StreetNos 16 to 20 Including Warehouse Attached to RearNos 23 and 25 (Including Passage to Clifton Place)Nos 7 and 9 and Attached RailingsNos. 48 and 50, Upper Church StreetOak InnOld Railway StationOswestry Visitor and Exhibition CentreOutbuilding Approximately 50 Metres South East of No. 43 (Wynnstay Hotel)Pair of Memorials to Members of Jones Family Approximately 30 Metres North West of North Aisle of Church of St OswaldPlas WilmotPorkington TerracePremises Occupied by Doctor's SurgeryRaised Pavement, Steps and Railings in Front of Numbers 1 to 5 Raised Pavement, Steps and Railings in Front of Porkington TerraceRemains of Oswestry CastleRow of 7 Bollards Immediately in Front of Number 6Savings BankSignal Box Approximately 80 Metres South of Former Oswestry StationSignal Post Approximately 150 Metres to South of Former Oswestry StationSt Oswald's WellSundial Approximately 30 Metres South West of Church of St OswaldThe Bailey HeadThe Bell InnThe DonThe Firs and Weston MillThe Fox InnThe GuildhallThe Poplars and Attached Garden WallThe Red Lion InnThe Willow TreeWar MemorialWar Memorial to the Staff of the Cambrian RailwaysWhite Lion InnWilliams Memorial Approximately 25 Metres North West of Church of St OswaldWolfe/Jennings Memorial Approximately 8 Metres North of North Chancel Chapel of Church of St OswaldWynnstay HotelYe Olde Vaults Inn1 and 3 Church Street1-9, Leg Street11 and 13 Church Street11, Albion Hill11, Arthur Street12 and 14, LOWER BROOK STREET12, Beatrice Street13, Arthur Street13, Beatrice Street13, Oak Street14-18, Kent Place16-22, Salop Road16-22, Upper Brook Street18 and 20 Cross Street18 and 20, Willow Street2 Albion Hill2 and 4, Willow Street2, Coney Green2, Leighton Place2, Lower Brook Street2, Upper Brook Street2, Upper Church Street23, Leg Street24, Cross Street24-30, Salop Road25, Church Street26 and 28 Cross Street26 and 28, Upper Brook Street27, Cross Street27, Leg Street29, Church Street3, Albion Hill3, Upper Brook Street31 and 33 Bailey Street32, Upper Brook Street32-36 Willow Street33-39, Willow Street35, Church Street36, Bailey Street36, Church Street with attached piers and railings39, Bailey Street39, Church Street4 and 6 Albion Hill4-14, Upper Church Street41, Willow Street42 and 42A, Church Street43, Willow Street45, Church Street48 and 50, Salop Road49, Roft Street52, Upper Church Street53 and 55, Willow Street56, Willow Street57, Willow Street58, Willow Street59, Church Street59, Willow Street6, Cross Street6, Lower Brook Street6, The Cross61-65, Willow Street63, Church Street64-70, Willow Street7 Salop Road8 and 10, Upper Brook Street8, Leighton Place8, Lower Brook Street9 and 11, Willow Street
Conservation areas
2 conservation areas cover 7.6% of Oswestry
Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.
Oswestry 198542 ha
Pant Glas and Brogyntyn Park 20101 ha
43 hain conservation areas, of 563 ha inside the built-up area.
The first, Oswestry, was designated in 1985; the newest, Pant Glas and Brogyntyn Park, in 2010. 126 of the 137 listed buildings stand in one.
Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.
How the list grew
More than half of Oswestry’s listed buildings were added in one year, 1986
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
1986 · 951951 · 30
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 30 entries were listed in 1951, 1 of the 1 Grade I buildings among them. 95 came in 1986, in the national resurvey of the 1970s and 80s. Only 2 have been added in the last 15 years.
Monuments & landscapes
Monuments, parks and gardens
Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.
5 scheduled monuments
Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Secretary of State, advised by Historic England.
1 registered park or garden
BrogyntynGrade II
History Grade
Oswestry grades A− for history
Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.
Protected heritage, for its size and in all (154 points, 88 per 10,000 residents)More than 79% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (22%)More than 67% of UK towns
Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.
Homes by age
22% of Oswestry’s homes were built before 1919
Every home by when it was built, from council tax records, against England & Wales (the dark tick).
19%
Before 1900
3.1%
1900–18
3.3%
1919–29
5.8%
1930s
5.1%
1945–54
8.7%
1955–64
12%
1965–72
7.2%
1973–82
11%
1983–92
8.6%
1993–99
9.6%
2000–08
2.4%
2009–15
4.3%
2016–25
OswestryEngland & Wales
19% of homes are Victorian or older, against 16% across England and Wales. The busiest period since was 1965–72, which added 12% of today’s homes.
Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties by build period, 31 March 2025, for the neighbourhoods (LSOAs) that make up the town, split by where their residents live. Homes with no recorded build period (120 here) are left out; 1939–44 is not a period in the data.
Born here
20 notable people born in Oswestry before 1900
Their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Thomas Mainwaring Penson
Thomas Savin
Thomas Owen (vegetarian)
Alfred Payne
Edward Weston
William Davies
Digby Owen
George Farmer
Henria Leech Williams
Walford Davies
Jack Hallam
Harold Arkwright
Len Benbow
Charlie Griffiths
Francis Humphrys
Charlie Morris
Harold Whitfield
Jack Hampson
Edward Stanley Roberts
Wilfred Owen
1800182518501875190019251950
Wilfred Owen1893–1918 · English Skateboarder 1893-1918)
Edward Weston1850–1936 · United States chemist (1850–1936)
Walford Davies1869–1941 · British composer (1869–1941)
Charlie Griffiths1878–1936 · English football player and manager
Francis Humphrys1879–1971 · English cricketer, colonial administrator, diplomat (1879-1971)
Thomas Savin1826–1889 · British civil engineer
GF
George Farmer1863–1905 · Footballer (1863-1905)
HW
Henria Leech Williams1867–1911 · Suffragette (1867-1911)
Everyone born in Oswestry → Birthplaces from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Towns its size
Oswestry has the 98th most Grade I buildings of 509 towns its size
Places of 11,000–28,000 people outside London, by Grade I listed buildings.
Oswestry1
#100 of 509for listed buildings per resident (78 per 10,000). Bridport, Whitby and Lewes lead.
97 have more. The typical town its size has 0.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Oswestry
| Town | People | Listed | Grade I | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oswestry | 17,500 | 137 | 1 | A− |
| Morda | 1,976 | 5 | 0 | C− |
| Whittington | 1,618 | 10 | 1 | B |
| Gobowen | 3,046 | 6 | 0 | C+ |
| Weston Rhyn | 1,381 | 5 | 0 | C− |
| Pant | 1,173 | 4 | 0 | C+ |
| St Martins | 2,692 | 6 | 1 | C |
| Chirk | 3,930 | 29 | 1 | B |
In brief
Oswestry in brief
Old houses are part of Oswestry’s character: 22% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town. All told, the list holds 137 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I, including Llwyd Mansion. For its size, it has more listed heritage than 79% of UK towns. Only 97 of the 509 towns nearest its size have more Grade I buildings.
On Willow Street alone there are 14 listed buildings. Its older streets lie in 2 conservation areas, the first designated in 1985. Of the whole list, 61% are houses, terraces and villas.
Questions about Oswestry’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Oswestry?
Historic England lists 137 buildings inside Oswestry’s built-up area: 1 Grade I, 4 Grade II* and 132 Grade II.
What are the Grade I listed buildings in Oswestry?
One: Llwyd Mansion, 1-3 Cross Street.
Which street in Oswestry has the most listed buildings?
Willow Street (14), Church Street (10) and Upper Brook Street (6) have the most listed entries named by an address. One entry can be a whole terrace.
Are there scheduled monuments in Oswestry?
Yes, 5 scheduled monuments, including Oswestry Castle: motte and adjoining section of the town wall immediately north east of Christ Church, Wat's Dyke: 365m long section, extending from 45m north east of Gate House on Shrewsbury Road, Wat's Dyke: 375m long section immediately south of Middleton Road and west of Laburnum Drive and Wat's Dyke: section 350m long, 540m east of Weston Farm.
How many conservation areas are there in Oswestry?
2, covering about 43 hectares of the town. The largest are Oswestry and Pant Glas and Brogyntyn Park.
When were Oswestry’s buildings listed?
The first in 1951; the most, 95, in 1986.
Who was born in Oswestry?
Among people born before 1900: Wilfred Owen (1893), Edward Weston (1850), Walford Davies (1869), Charlie Griffiths (1878) and Francis Humphrys (1879).
How old are the homes in Oswestry?
22% of homes were built before 1919 and 31% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.
Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.