Gobowen is a village in
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
, England, about 3 miles north of
Oswestry. The population according to the 2011 census was 3,270.
History
![Preeshenlle United Reform Church - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Preeshenlle_United_Reform_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_200674.jpg)
The village was previously called ''Bryn-y-Castell'' ("Hill of the Castle" in English) after the
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
motte castle adjacent to the Preeshenlle United Reformed Church, the eastern edge of the site being cut into when the church was built. Alongside this monument there is a section of the 8th century
Wat's Dyke
Wat's Dyke ( cy, Clawdd Wat) is a linear earthwork running through the northern Welsh Marches from Basingwerk Abbey on the River Dee estuary, passing east of Oswestry and on to Maesbury in Shropshire, England. It runs generally parallel to ...
.
The name changed to Gobowen; this name is believed to originate from Gob (from 'gobennydd', a pillow) and Owen (
Owain Glyndŵr) who was believed to have rested here. However, this name may also originate from a man named Owen who started mining here, and an old Welsh word for mine is 'gob', hence Gobowen (Owen's mine).
The mines were filled in by hand during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
by displaced persons and prisoners of war, who were housed in a camp which is now called Bank Top Industrial Estate in the nearby village of
St Martins.
The population of Gobowen, however, grew up around the railway. The mainline route between
Chester and
Shrewsbury was diverted through Gobowen after permission was denied to route the railway through the local historic town of Oswestry.
Gobowen railway station is a Grade II listed building.
The village's main primary school was opened in 1907, with local educational provision previously being offered at the school hall attached to Preeshenlle United Reform Church.
All Saints Church
The Foundation Stone for All Saints Church was laid in 1926 and the memorial to this event can be found on the east end of the building. The church was built as a daughter church to St. Barnabas Church at Hengoed and remained as such until the Hengoed church was made redundant in 1981, at which point All Saints became the parish church for 'Hengoed with Gobowen'. The parish of Hengoed with Gobowen was originally in the
Diocese of St Asaph
The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese of the Church in Wales in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop.
Geography
The Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in the north-east corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Chester i ...
but transferred to the
Diocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers of seve ...
when the
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.
The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The p ...
disestablished. All Saints was officially opened in 1928 and its vicar was George Owen Browne, the first of nine vicars to date who have served the parish. Others have included: Bertram Russell, Arthur Cecil Roberts, Glyn Owen Jones, John Michael Allen, Paul Wilkinson, Michael John Withey, Christopher John Groocock and Adrian Richard Bailey (the current vicar). The church was extended variously throughout its history including the extension of the West End, the addition of a second vestry (to the rear) and a bell tower. In 1979, the building was devastated by fire and services continued during that period in the hall next to the Church. It re-opened in 1981 with a newly commissioned stained glass window to the East End, a donated window depicting the nativity in the West End, and various pieces of furniture donated from churches elsewhere.
Governance
Gobowen is part of the
electoral ward called Gobowen, Selattyn and Weston Rhyn. This ward had a population of 6,866 at the 2011 Census.
Amenities and attractions
Derwen College
Derwen College is a specialist college situated in Gobowen near Oswestry in Shropshire in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country ...
, which provides residential further education for students with learning difficulties and disabilities, lies in the village. The college also operates a garden centre, Young Farmers' shop (selling produce grown at the college), coffee shop and restaurant.
The village has shops, medical facilities and schools. There are three churches — Anglican, Methodist and United Reformed. There are around 20 organisations offering activities in which to participate. Local tourist attractions include Park Hall Countryside Experience, Chirk Castle, Whittington Castle and the Shropshire Union Canal.
Orthopaedic hospital
The
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital is sited nearby. It was established as a convalescent home for disabled children in 1900 at
Baschurch by
Agnes Hunt
Dame Agnes Gwendoline Hunt DBE RRC (31 December 1866 – 24 July 1948) was a British nurse, who is generally recognised as the first orthopaedic nurse.
Early life
She was born in London, daughter and sixth of eleven children of Rowland Hunt ( ...
. In 1919 funds and premises became available and the hospital transferred to the hospital section of a former army camp at Park Hall. The new site was officially opened on August 5, 1921 by
Margaret Cambridge, Marchioness of Cambridge
Margaret Evelyn Cambridge, Marchioness of Cambridge (8 April 1873 – 27 March 1929) was the sixth child and third daughter of the 1st Duke of Westminster and the wife of the 1st Marquess of Cambridge. She was known before her marriage as The L ...
in the presence of its founders
Sir Robert Jones and Dame Agnes Hunt. Much progress has been made since that time both with vast new buildings and pioneering medical treatments.
Transport
Gobowen lies on the
A5/
A483
The A483, officially described as the Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road, although now ending in Chester, is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs from Swansea in Wales to Chester in England via Llandovery, Llandrindod Wells, Oswestry and W ...
roads between
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and
Holyhead. The village has regular
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
links with
Oswestry, St Martins, Ellesmere and Wrexham.
Gobowen railway station is served by
Transport for Wales
Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...
with regular trains connecting to Wrexham, Chester, Shrewsbury, Holyhead and the North Wales Coast, Cardiff and Birmingham.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Selattyn and Gobowen
References
External links
Gobowen is part of the Community Online forum http://www.community-online.co.uk
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Villages in Shropshire