Summary

First World War memorial, 1924, of the Cambrian Railways. Sculpture by Allen G Wyon.

Description

MATERIALS: stone pillar, marble panel, bronze sculpture.

DESCRIPTION: The memorial is located immediately inside Cae Glas Park on the left hand side, after walking through the Grade II-listed memorial gates. It comprises a pillar made of stone, c2m tall. To the front there is a bronze statue of a draped female figure looking upwards and with outstretched arms. Behind the figure is a marble panel with a rising sun motif carved in low relief, edged with a stone border.

The statue stands on a bronze half pedestal under which is fixed a shallow ornamented bronze shelf. Below, mounted on the lower section of the marble panel, is a brass plaque with the inscription THIS TABLET IS ERECTED TO PERPETUATE/ THE MEMORY OF/ THE MEN/ OF THE CAMBRIAN RAILWAYS/ WHOSE NAMES ARE HERE RECORDED AND/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR KING/ AND COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914-1918/ (53 NAMES).

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: In front of the base of the memorial is a slate plaque fixed to a small stone. The plaque reads THIS MEMORIAL REMOVED/ FROM THE CLOSED/ OSWESTRY RAILWAY STATION/ WAS ERECTED ON THIS SITE/ BY OSWESTRY TOWN COUNCIL/ AND UNVEILED BY/ CLLR W.G. JONES/ ON OCTOBER 23RD 1975. This is not of special interest.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 19 January 2017.

History

The memorial was unveiled on 1 January 1924 at Oswestry Railway Station, in memory of the 53 men of the Cambrian Railways who died serving in the First World War. It cost £250 and was sculpted by Allen G Wyon. Cambrian Railways was formed in 1864 by the amalgamation of several earlier railway lines all in the environs of Oswestry where the company had its headquarters. By 1866 the company operated its mainline from Whitchurch to Aberystwyth via Oswestry along with a number of branch lines. As well as the headquarters at the railway station building, Oswestry was the location of the locomotive and rolling stock Workshop and the Motive Power Depot. At Grouping in 1923 the company became part of the Great Western Railway.

The memorial was relocated to the memorial garden in Cae Glas Park by Oswestry Council because the railway station closed down in 1966. It was re-dedicated on 23 October 1975 by Councillor WG Jones.

Allen G Wyon (1882-1962) was born in London where his father ran a die-engraving company. He trained at the Royal Academy Schools and was Assistant to William Hamo Thornycroft. Wyon was the last in the family line to work as a die-engraver, and he was primarily a sculptor, whose works include the East Wind sculpture on the Grade I-listed headquarters of the London Underground at 55 Broadway, London. His other war memorial work includes the figure of Peace at Hinckley (with architect JA Gotch), and the sculpture for the Men of Shropshire memorial in Shrewsbury (both Grade II-listed).

Reasons for Listing

The war memorial to the staff of the Cambrian Railways, which stands in Cae Glas Park, Oswestry, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the First World War;
* Sculptural interest: with a bronze figure by the noted sculptor Allen G Wyon;
* Group value: with the Grade II-listed memorial gates to Cae Glas Park.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26678034

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
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