Cressage is a village in Shropshire we passed through on our onward journey from Oswestry and Shrewsbury.

The War Memorial is a Celtic Cross and stands at a road junction in the village.

The base is inscribed, “To the glory of God and in honoured memory of the following men who died on active service in the Great War 1914 – 1918.”

Reverse View. Inscribed, “1939 – 1945. In memory of A. Manning. F. Roberts.”

I realised that we would be very near Ironbridge on our trip across England after the game at Oswestry and so couldn’t miss visiting the site of the first iconic construction of the Industrial Revolution.

The eponymous bridge is a beautiful shape. Imagine our disappointment when we found it swathed in plastic. It was undergoing repairs/refurbishment.

So, I have walked over the iron bridge – pedestrian traffic was allowed – but have not actually seen it.

We’ll just need to go back another time.

Still, it wasn’t a completely wasted stop; there was an extensively stocked second-hand bookshop in the village itself near to the bridge and a pleasing War Memorial.

Wolrd War 2 Dedication. “The Church clock was illuminated as a memorial to the followimg men of Ironbridge who lost their lives during the 1939-1945 war”:-

From south. Great War Names:-

From North. Great War dedication. “In grateful and undying memory of the valiant men of Ironbridge who laid down their lives in the Great War 1914 – 1919. We thank God upon every remembrance of you.”

First destination on the Sunday after Oswestry was Powis Castle, a National Trust property lying not far from Welshpool in Powys, Wales.

Castle from car park:-

From approach path:-

Castle entrance:-

Courtyard and equestrian statue:-

Courtyard from wall:-

Courtyard wall, shrubbery beyond:-

Topiaried shrubbery and gardens:-

The castle houses peacocks, given the run of the place:-

And so, on the morning after the semi-final we motored towards Powis Castle on the A483 between Oswestry and Welshpool.

Just on the English side of the border I spotted this house in the village of Pant. I had to stop for a photo or three:-

Closer View:-

Frontage. The windows were surely once Critall but at least some (most) have been replaced:-

From right:-

Home of The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club aka The New Saints or TNS, once known as Total Network Solutions.

Scene of the most recent historical achievement of Dumbarton FC, the mighty Sons of the Rock.

Since The New Saints play in the Welsh Premier League this also counts as a Welsh Football ground.

The ground is more or less in the middle of nowhere, across the main road which by-passes the town of Oswestry and up a narrow unlit road. And it doesn’t have much in the way of dedicated parking spaces.

Entrance Gates:-

From southwest. The structure on this side is a TV camera platform.

Main Stand from southwest. The word stand isn’t really appropriate. The brick structure is more like a social club with a small balcony fronting onto the pitch. It doesn’t seem to have seats. The covered area to the left here does, though:-

Main stand and north terracing/stand from southwest:-

Stadium from main stand, showing TV platform:-

Pitch and TV platform from northeast:-

Pitch and East terracing from northeast:-

North Terracing/Stand:-

Camera platform from north:-

Main stand and covered terracing from north terracing:-

Teams Shake Hands, Irn Bru Cup Semi-final, Park Hall Stadium, Oswestry, Feb 2018:-

The game at Oswestry not being till the evening we took ourselves off to Shrewsbury on the Saturday afternoon. (I’ve already mentioned Shrewsbury Abbey in a 4/11/2018 post about Wilfred Owen’s Memorial in the Abbey Grounds.)

Since we didn’t know the town we stopped at the first Park and Ride and availed ourselves of the service. That was just as well because the traffic was very busy and the streets quite narrow.

We also asked someone if the pronunciation was “Shrew”- or “Shrow”- sbury and were told it didn’t matter, either would do.

The town’s history is clearly evident in its buildings, with several in the timber-framed Tudor style:-

After the Second World War the military camp at Oswestry became a centre for Canadian troops, then the Royal Artillery and finally a training centre for Infantry Junior Leaders.

Also in the Oswestry War Memorial garden area is a Memorial to these Junior Leaders. Deus Vult translates as God wills.

Dedication plaque:-

Plaque to Junior Leaders who died on active service:-

Junior Leaders Association appreciation for Oswestry:-

During the Great War Oswestry was the site of an army training camp and military hospital. In World War 2 this was again brought into use this time as a Royal Artillery Training and Plotting Officers’ School.

Behind the gates of Oswestry’s main War Memorial is a gardened area wherein lie other memorials.

Royal Regiment of Artillery Memorial:-

Near side of Royal Regiment of Artillery Memorial:-

Latin tag. “Ubique quo fas et gloria decunt.” “Everywhere where right and glory lead.”:-

Memorial Field Gun:-

Memorial Field Gun dedication:-

I hadn’t looked this up reasoning that Oswestry is a big enough town to have a prominent War Memorial and I’d find it quite easily.

Still we’d been wandering the town for an hour or so on the Saturday morning (having travelled down on the Friday and staying overnight so as not to risk missing the kick-off) and still hadn’t seen it. So I asked the young woman serving me at WH Smith’s till, “Where is Oswestry’s War Memorial?” Despite seeming to be a local she didn’t know.

Anyway I strolled on down the main street for about a hundred or so yards – and there it was.

A set of gates flanked by pillars, inscribed respectively “1914. There is a life in death,” and “1919. Ye have not died in vain.”:-

1914 Pillar. Top plaque inscribed, “Erected in grateful memory of the men of Oswestry who laid down their lives in the Great War.”:-

1919 pillar. Top plaque inscribed, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”:-

The reverse of the pillars was later pressed into service as the Second World War Memorial with 1939 and 1945 on the pillars:-

1939 pillar. Inscribed, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be his God and he shall be my son.”:-

1945 pillar. Inscribed, “In grateful memory of the men and women of Oswestry who laid down their lives in the war of 1939-1945.”:-

As a town, Oswestry in Shropshire, England, may have seen better days. A lot of the buildings in the town centre looked tired.

The former Regal Cinema certainly has the deco look, though it’s now what looks like a hairdresser’s plus a Factory Shop. The original glazing would have looked better but the replacement windows are adequate:-

Reverse view. The canopy and roofline above are good features:-

Could this once have been a Woolworths? It’s now a Poundland anyway. And a Pep & Co:-

Frontal view:-

The Sports Direct has also seen better days:-

British Heart Foundation:-