Oswestry Town Museum

About the museum

Oswestry Town Museum is run by volunteers and tells the story of Oswestry and the surrounding borderland. It is housed in the Guildhall in Bailey Head in the centre of the town. The museum closed for more than a year during the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns and reopened in June 2021 with new and updated displays, supported by Oswestry Town Council, Shropshire Council and the Covid Recovery Fund.

The main exhibition room is built around a timeline of the town, an ongoing project that runs from the formation of the local rocks to modern Oswestry. It has displays on geology, Oswestry Town Football Club, the Llanymynech Limeworks and the Welsh Guards. A separate activity room offers colouring, quizzes and objects for children to handle.

Other rooms cover the Judge's Chambers, with items from the Orthopaedic Hospital and the local fire service, and the Magistrates' Court, with the Pegasus Stone and material on the Tanat Valley Railway. A Wall of Women marks the centenary of votes for women with 101 women connected to Oswestry, and Oswestry Unearthed looks at what lies beneath the town. The museum also keeps a virtual museum online and takes part in Heritage Open Days each September.

Highlights

• Timeline of Oswestry from the formation of its rocks to today
• Wall of Women with 101 women linked to Oswestry
• Rooms on the Judge's Chambers and the Magistrates' Court
• Oswestry Unearthed and an exhibit on the Llanymynech Limeworks
• Children's activity room with hands-on objects

Permanent exhibitions

• Main exhibition and Oswestry timeline – A timeline of the town from the formation of its rocks to the present, with displays on geology, football, the Llanymynech Limeworks and the Welsh Guards.
• Judge's Chambers and Magistrates' Court – Local memorabilia, items from the Orthopaedic Hospital and the fire service, the Pegasus Stone and material on the Tanat Valley Railway.
• Oswestry Wall of Women – A display of 101 women with a connection to Oswestry, created for the centenary of the first votes for women.

Founded

2012

Operated by

Volunteer-run

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free according to local directory listings; donations help to support the museum.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

A ramp leads into the building and a lift serves the museum floor; the lift takes most wheelchairs but not those with splayed wheels. Disabled parking is available in the nearby Horsemarket car park. The museum asks visitors to contact it for further details on disabled access.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

A separate children's activity room has colouring, quizzes and a collection of hands-on objects to look at, touch and draw.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Guildhall at Bailey Head in the centre of Oswestry.

Amenities & dining

There is a public access computer in the main exhibition room.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit