The first railway to reach Oswestry, in 1848, was a branch off the Shrewsbury & Chester Railway, which ran from a junction located at Gobowen. This railway was eventually taken over by the Great Western Railway in 1854.
Following the opening of the branch from Gobowen, the next railway to arrive in Oswestry was part of the Oswestry & Newtown Railway in 1860. In 1863, the Oswestry, Ellesmere & Whitchurch Railway opened its line into Oswestry from the north. In July 1864 the Oswestry & Newtown and the Oswestry, Ellesmere & Whitchurch Railways amalgamated with the Newtown & Machynlleth, and the Llanidloes & Newtown Railways to form the Cambrian Railways.
The four head office stations were all built at a similar time in the early 1860s but the identity of the architect is uncertain. Benjamin Piercy was engineer to three of the companies, and a local architect, Stephen W. Williams has been suggested, as has the name of T.M. Penson who designed Machynlleth. Oswestry, Ellesmere and Llanidloes have much in common, but Welshpool is different.
Welshpool has been taken as the datum for this entry as it is the only one of the four adjacent to the existing railway, though it is not in railway use. Here the style is distinctly French, with steep tiled roofs, dormer windows and a tall pavilion at each end. It is now a shopping arcade.
Ellesmere is a two storey building in red brick, mildly Italianate with deep eaves, bargeboards, and round headed windows, and an unusual two storey bay window on the platform side. It is now offices.
Oswestry is the largest and is more Italianate than Ellesmere, but it has the same two storey bay window.It has recently been restored and is part of the gradual extension of heritage railway activities in the town. Oswestry was the location of the works of the Cambrian Railways.
Llanidloes is similar but smaller and the bay window is only at platform level. It too is offices. All four are listed Grade II.
Welshpool is on the town by-pass, across the road from the current railway station.
Oswestry is in the town centre.
Llanidloes is on the by-pass, like Welshpool.
Ellesmere is near the town centre
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