Shropshire Routes to Roots

7. Further information

Introduction

Obviously this theme has provided only a very brief snapshot of the changes which have taken place in Shrewsbury and Oswestry over the last century. There were many more changes which happened before and during the years examined here. In addition, Shropshire has seen many changes outside these two towns, particularly in the east with the development of Telford in the 1960s.

There are many more photographs and images, of all areas of Shropshire, which can be obtained both online and offline. This page suggests a few starting points.

Other themes on Routes to Roots

The themes on Shropshire Routes to Roots look at all parts of Shropshire throughout all periods of history. You should find something related to your area, but if you are searching for 'before' and 'after' photographs and localised histories then the following themes are a good starting point:

• The Abbey Station theme looks at how the site of the station for the Old Potts Railway has altered.
• On Oswestry's transport history, you could explore the Getting goods to market and the The Cambrian Railways themes.
• The Exploring industrialisation theme focuses on Wrockwardine Wood and how it has changed since 1850.
• You will find digitised extracts from three trade directories - 1822, 1850 and 1895 - for Shropshire, Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Drayton and Broseley in the Trade directories collection.

Archive photographs

Most of the older photographs and images in this theme were taken from collections at Shropshire Archives (Opens in a new window). The collections are organised by place, so it should be easy to find old photographs (references beginning with PH) and postcards (references beginning with PC) of where you live.

Oswestry Library (opens in a new window) has an extensive local history collection, including photographs and drawings of the area. Of particular value are a series of sketches of the Sweeney Hall estate. Produced by the same artist over a number of years, they tell a detailed visual story of how individual buildings are altered over time.

Books

There are several photographic histories of Shrewsbury and Oswestry. These include:

• Phil Gillam and Toby Neal (Shropshire Star), Shrewsbury: Pictures from the Past, Breedon Books, 2001
• Bernard Mitchell, The Archive photographs Series: Oswestry, Chalford, 1994
• John Pryce-Jones, Oswestry: A Local History, Llanforda Press, 2000
• David Trumper, Shrewsbury: The Twentieth Century, Sutton Publishing, Bath, 1999

For Oswestry, there is also a very good 'Town Trail and Brief History' available from the heritage centre. Shrewsbury Tourist Information Centre also has a number of walks and guides to help you discover the Shrewsbury area.

Online sources

As is the case for all external links on this website, these links will open in a new browser window.

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