Oswestry Town Trail - Welsh Walls

Services in Welsh were held at the Parish Church of St. Oswald on alternate Sunday mornings until 1814 after which they were held in a room over the Town clerk’s office in Bailey Head. In 1821, a chapel was built at Trefonen to cater for the Welsh speaking community but there was no provision within Oswestry itself until 1872 when services in Welsh were held in the Victoria Rooms. Soon afterwards, a corrugated iron building was erected in the new churchyard on Welsh Walls, opposite what is now Mulberry Court. The iron building was replaced in 1912 with a red brick Welsh Chapel in the Gothic style which cost about £1000 to build and which seated 200 worshippers. Isaac Watkin states that the vicar, architect and builder were all Freemasons. The cornerstone was laid on July 25th. 1912 by Sir Offley Wakeman, Grand Master for Shropshire, attended by a large number of Masons, all in full regalia. On the churchyard gatepost are inscribed the names of the four churchwardens – R. Roberts, P. Thomas, R. Bill and D. Skellorn. At the far end of the churchyard is a memorial to members of the Penson family, a prominent local family. On one side of the monument is a dedication to Charlotte Elizabeth Urwick, eldest daughter of Thomas and Frances Penson, who died of consumption in Torquay on November 26th. 1846 aged 30 years, and her only son, Thomas Penson Urwick, who died on May 27th. 1846, aged just 16 months.

The National School was built in 1840 by James Vaughan of Beatrice Street from plans drawn up by Thomas Penson. The building which catered for infant and junior children also included accommodation for the schoolmaster and his family. The school was opened in 1841 and became a Church of England school in 1872.

The longest serving headmaster was James Feather who was head teacher for 35 years. In 1881, the census gives us a few details about James Feather. He was then 57 years old and his wife Mary was 60. They had two unmarried daughters living at home. Clara, aged 23, is described as ‘mantle maker daughter’. Her 22 year old sister, Edith, is described simply as a schoolmaster’s daughter. James died in 1896, having resigned as headmaster a few years earlier. He was the last headmaster to live on the site as the house was converted into classrooms after he resigned.

The school has now been converted into a restaurant although the exterior appears to have changed very little.

The seven houses next to the school were built in 1870 and named Fairfield. No.1 appears on the 1881 census as Fairfield House. The head of the household was 29 year old Maria Robinson, a grocer, who was born in London. Living with her were her mother, a retired hotel keeper, her sister, Dorothy, age 22, a milliner, and her cousin Mary Dolby, a music teacher. Maria had three boarders, Annie Denny, a 22 year old schoolmistress and music teacher, a retired currier, Edward Edwards, and 21 year old William Edwards, a mining engineer.

Of the other six houses in the terrace, two were occupied by domestic coachmen and their families. Hannah Phillips lived at No.4. She was a retired boot and shoe dealer. Living with her were her cousin, Bridget Stoker, a 69 year old widow and annuitant, and their domestic servant, Margaret Jones, age 36.

Robert Lloyd, a draper and grocer, lived next door with his wife and their eleven year old son, Robert. Three shop assistants lived with the family, Mary Lightfoot, a ‘saleswoman boots’, Ann Edwards, a mantle maker, and milliner Catherine Evans. The Lloyds had one servant, 17 year old Margaret Roberts.

The last two houses were occupied by Eliza Minshall, an annuitant and her brother and one servant, and William Jones, a commercial traveller, his wife and two year old son plus his wife’s brother and sister. The brother, William George was a shoe manufacturer.

The foundation stone of the Cottage Hospital was laid on November 1st. 1896 and the hospital opened the following year. Minnie Williams was matron in 1881. She was assisted by two nurses, Hanna Williams and Mary Mattocks, a cook Mary Jones and a domestic housemaid, Elizabeth Jones. There were seven in – patients on the night of the census. The only female patient was 23 year old housewife, Harriet Wilson. Of the six men, three were in their forties and three in their twenties. There were two labourers, a plumber, a carpenter, an ostler and a coal miner.

In 1900, the matron was Helen Scott. The hospital then had beds for seventeen patients. During 1899, 86 people were treated as in- patients and 123 attended the out-patients department. Seventy four people were treated in their own homes by the district nurse. In 2006, the hospital is being converted into luxury apartments.

The terrace houses leading from the hospital towards Willow Street were mainly occupied by skilled tradesmen and their families.