VOLUNTEERS from an Oswestry research group have created a self-guided walk-through the town to help people learn more about its past.

It is hoped the new guide will help people - both residents and visitors - to learn more about the history of the market town and its links back to medieval times.

The group is part of the wider High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) scheme, a regeneration project designed to transform rundown buildings and shopfronts in the market town, while the project has been led by the Future Oswestry Group, a team put together from Shropshire Council, Oswestry Town Council and Oswestry BID (Business Improvement District).

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John Pryce-Jones, one of the volunteers, said: “Oswestry has a fascinating and very lively medieval history.

“When walking the streets of the town, some of that history is very much still visible today, in the Castle Bank, English Walls, Welsh Walls, and St Oswald’s Parish Church.

“Some other aspects of history have since become hidden by development, and our hope is that the self-guided walk will provide people with an insight into the town’s medieval past.

“It has been quite a challenge to distill quite a lot of history down into a small leaflet, but we think we have managed it. The leaflet is well laid out, and we hope that people find it useful, and enjoy the walk.”

John and the rest of the group hope to produce a similar leaflet which focuses on the Victorian period in Oswestry later this year.

The group wants to bring a focus on the town’s history, so the local community and visitor economy can learn more about the medieval period from which the town was first developed.

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Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for growth, regeneration and housing, added: "We’re very lucky in Shropshire to have such a rich history, and it’s great to see resources such as these being created, to spread the word about how our market towns initially evolved, and how history is very much still a part of our high streets today.

“Summer is on its way, so I recommend people to grab a guide, or view it online, and enjoy this medieval town trail of Oswestry.”

Councillor Jay Moore, Oswestry Town Mayor, further said that the town’s medieval past is ‘fascinating’ and he thanked all the volunteers for the work that they have put in.