Gobowen
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Gobowen is a village in
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
, England, about 3 miles north of
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
. The population according to the 2011 census was 3,270.


History

The village was previously called ''Bryn-y-Castell'' ("Hill of the Castle" in English) after the Norman 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 () 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 Offa's Dyke, s ...
. The name changed to Gobowen; this name is believed to originate from Gob (from 'gobennydd', a pillow) and Owen (
Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...
) 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
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 Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
and
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
was diverted through Gobowen after permission was denied to route the railway through the local historic town of Oswestry.
Gobowen railway station Gobowen railway station is a railway station on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line of the former Great Western Railway's Paddington railway station, London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside railway station, Birkenhead Woodside via Birmingham Snow H ...
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 Cheste ...
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 () 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 position is currently held b ...
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 A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
called Gobowen, Selattyn and Weston Rhyn. This ward had a population of 6,866 at the 2011 Census.


Amenities and attractions

Derwen College, 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. 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 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 city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
. The village has regular
bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...
links with
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
, St Martins, Ellesmere and Wrexham.
Gobowen railway station Gobowen railway station is a railway station on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line of the former Great Western Railway's Paddington railway station, London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside railway station, Birkenhead Woodside via Birmingham Snow H ...
is served by
Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) 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) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...
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

{{authority control Villages in Shropshire