When one thinks of Oswestry, what do they think of? The railways? The many charity shops? The pubs? Brogyntyn? Cae Glas Park?

We think of Cae Glas Park as the heart of Oswestry - the very place of pleasure and peace - where one can retreat to when all else seems to crumble and fall. Since it’s building and opening in early 1910, Oswestry has changed a heck of a lot; we have gained attractions and lost historic landmarks, but the Park, which may only be a small patch of land compared to the larger ones of London and Birmingham, has continued to flourish and represent this lovely little town.

Trawling through some old photographs on the Internet, we found this postcard. It looks as if it had just opened, looking at the period clothing of the two gentlemen in the centre, and the vague, romantic setting of the town, characterized by the inset of the colours - this is definitely a painting, not a photograph.

How many of us, before now, knew the Park was built in 1910? How many of us knew that the Park gets it’s name ‘Cae Glas’ from the old Cae Glas Mansion which existed on this site, and was owned by a Mr. C. Jones of Rossett until 1909, when it was sold to the Oswestry Corporation [now Oswestry Town Council]? How many of us knew that those grand pillared-gates which inscribe the names of our glorious dead were only erected following the Great War?

As you will see, the new Park was pretty basic. The bowling green was only purchased by the Corporation in the 1930s, so this would have literally been a village green with a concrete pathway, with two attractive entrances - one on Church Street and one on Welsh Walls, opposite the Holbache House.

The gates look basic iron, with two stone pillars to hold them up, adjoining two small-sized walls with iron railings to ensure security when the Park is closed in the late evenings. The entrance looks considerably smaller, compared to now. No flowerbeds, but a concrete walkway laid through a patch of grass. Also, two walls exist, which do not exist now; these walls would have separated the Park from the two houses which stand next to the Park to this day, but are now replaced by two cemented walkways, railings, rows of benches and memorials to the fallen Cambrian Railwaymen and those who served in the K.S.L.I., giving the two houses smaller driveways.

The circular walkway still exists, but only another set of railings separates it from the large green. There is a 25 pounder gun memorial, a flowerbed and two park benches which take place, with rows of bushes to provide a pleasant background image.

Furthermore, despite some alterations, the purpose for the granting of the land to the Corporation for the construction of the Park is as true today as it was then:- "not be used for any purpose whatsoever other than a public walk or pleasure ground".

Some familiarities still exist, such as the existence of a bandstand, which looks as it if has moved a few kilometres to the right of the entrance, but it’s nice to see those magnificent trees which now tower over the Crazy Golf Course, in full, uninterrupted bloom. I also see the escutcheon still exists at the grand gates of today, as it does in the photograph; no doubt, the iron railings and the sign were removed and donated to the Armed Forces to be melted down and turned into bullets… Ah, well! We did our bit for our fine homeland, nonetheless.

What is saddening is how quaint those two gentlemen look, but the image is most intriguing. Questions such as: “What are they talking about?” form. They could be friends, asking each other how their days have been, even keeping each other informed on news, politics and current affairs. Maybe they were two Corporation employees remarking what a good job they did on producing such a magnificent attraction. Having said that, they could be two strangers - one asking the other for the time, directions to the Market or for a cigarette.

The gentleman on the left looks like an industrialist; probably a farmer, a miner or a railwayman. The gentleman on the right looks like he did well for himself; probably a landowner, a businessman, a banker, or even a pensioner. He holds a walking stick, but that doesn’t mean anything, given all gentlemen of high society had them in those days. To think, in a few years, we will see pensioners in today’s modern clothing - what will we wear then?

Since no date has been given for this picture, we can only assume it was in Summer, as the presence of a blue sky and no clouds indicates lovely weather. It could just be a romantic ideal, rather than an idiosyncratic representation or snapshot of a day in the life of the average Oswestrian. There looks like no buildings behind the trees - a hark back to the days of when there were no large housing estates further afield from Brynhafod.

This postcard was found on the Oswestry-History Postcards website, where the link can be found below. We hope you enjoyed this artistic breakdown of the postcard. Indeed, it breaks the boundary of the traditional historic documentary, but whether in print of photograph, we are looking at pure history. Remember, a picture paints a thousand words…

This article is produced while giving thanks to Oswestry Town Council for their management of Cae Glas Park, and to the landscape contractors who maintain it for the Burgesses of Oswestry to enjoy. As six months ago marked the 117th anniversary of the founding of this Park, we hope it continues to represent us as our jewel in the crown!

Sources:

http://www.oswestry-history.co.uk/postcards/cae-glas-01.html

http://www.oswestry-tc.gov.uk/council-services/parks-and-open-spaces/cae-glas-park.html