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  1. #1
    Mary Anne
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    Default Castle View, Oswestry

    Hello all

    I am curious about a property that was left in an 1888 will by an ancestor of my husband's, Thomas Minshall, a solicitor who lived in Oswestry. Minshall mentions a property in Oswestry that he calls "Castle View" and he identifies it as having adjoining it the "Old British School". When I Google Castle View, it looks like it is an area, rather than a house name.

    Can anyone tell me more? How would I find out if there are any old photographs of these buildings? I am not being very successful about finding anything on Google!!

    Thank you!


    Mary Anne

  2. #2
    Coromandel
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mary Anne View Post
    Minshall mentions a property in Oswestry that he calls "Castle View" and he identifies it as having adjoining it the "Old British School". When I Google Castle View, it looks like it is an area, rather than a house name.
    There is a street called Castle View in Oswestry, but there's also a building called Castle View in Arthur Street, headquarters of the Oswestry Borough Council. Looking at the very detailed 1874/5 town plan on the Old Maps website, this building in Arthur Street was next door to the British School.

    To find this, put in coordinates 329030, 329722 at

    www.
    old-maps.co.uk

    then switch to the first old map shown in the right-hand menu.

    Here's what the building looks like now:

    https://
    shropshire.gov.uk/customerservice.nsf/open/96B89CD6865572498025768600514931

    As it is such a substantial building I would think there would be old photographs of it and information on its history. I will see if I can find anything else online . . . but also it may well be worth contacting Oswestry Borough Council themselves.

  3. #3
    Coromandel
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    Slater's Directory, 1868 (which you can find on the Historical Directories website) shows that the Registrars of Birth, Marriage and Death had their offices at Castle View, Oswestry. Indeed, Thomas Minshall, Arthur Street, is listed as the Superintendant Registrar.

    You can still get married there today:

    https://www.
    shropshire.gov.uk/registrar.nsf/open/75C6CBB0406A989E802579420047C7E0

  4. #4
    Coromandel
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coromandel View Post
    there's also a building called Castle View in Arthur Street, headquarters of the Oswestry Borough Council. Looking at the very detailed 1874/5 town plan on the Old Maps website, this building in Arthur Street was next door to the British School.
    From further searching it appears that Oswestry Borough Council has ceased to exist, so they won't be much help.
    Sorry! You could try Shropshire Council instead.

    You can see the building on Google Streetview. It is labelled 'Shropshire Council' on the satellite view.

  5. #5
    Reputation beyond repute
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Kent
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    16,792

    Default

    When I Google Castle View
    The trouble with Google is their inconsistent results. What it gives you may not be what it gives me.

    If you search using duckduckgo.com (my current favourite) with the search term "castle view" oswestry the first few results* identify it as a building as in Coromandel's messages.

    *At least if you specify the region as UK

  6. #6
    Mary Anne
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    Default

    Thank you Peter and Coromandel!


    Mary Anne

  7. #7
    jamesdon
    Guest

    Default Thomas Minshall, Castle View, Oswestry

    Quote Originally Posted by Mary Anne View Post
    Hello all

    I am curious about a property that was left in an 1888 will by an ancestor of my husband's, Thomas Minshall, a solicitor who lived in Oswestry. Minshall mentions a property in Oswestry that he calls "Castle View" and he identifies it as having adjoining it the "Old British School". When I Google Castle View, it looks like it is an area, rather than a house name.

    Can anyone tell me more? How would I find out if there are any old photographs of these buildings? I am not being very successful about finding anything on Google!!

    Thank you!


    Mary Anne
    I have a copy of "Oswestry with an account of its old houses, shops, etc. and some of their occupants"

    "Castle View recently re-fronted was erected about 1841 by Mr Thomas Minshall, solicitor, for his own occupation.
    Mr Minshall, who was the eldest son of Mr Nathaniel Minshall, solicitor, and Sarah(Roberts)his wife, married in 1835 Maria, only daughter of Mr David Thomas of The Cross, mercer. He entered the Town Council early in life and served as Mayor in 1851(the first nonconformist in the town under the Municipals Reform Act) and again in 1880. He died the senior Alderman in 1890. For more than half a century Mr Minshall was one of the most prominent men in Oswestry, taking a warm interest in all that concerned the social, political and religious life of the town and neighbourhood, As an earnest and devout Congregationalist, he declined, when elected to the Civic Chair, to conform to the old custom of attending the Parish Churchin in state, and, in 1880 when it had become the practice for Mayors to give banquets to the Council and Borough Officials,he, true to his principles as a lifelong teetotaller provided a most sumptous repast, but without any intoxicants. Mrs Minshall died in 1911 at the age of 97."

    "Offices of Messrs. Minshall, Pugh & Co The site was originally two cottages. The property was acquired by Mr Thomas Minshall, who demolished the cottages and about 1866 had the present building erected for office swhich previously were at Castle View nearby"

    Both of these properties still exist today and are sited next to each other. The offices are very much as the were built and house the Citizen's Advice Bureau whilst Castle View forms the front facade of the Shropshire Council offices in Oswestry. They are called Castle View as the lie below the so called Castle Bank atop of which are what little remains of Oswestry Castle which was almost completely demolished after the English Civil War.
    Mr Minshall was a major player in the Old Dissenting Chapel in Arthur Street and I have just been helping someone with research into this chapel. Coincidentally their ancestor was an employee of David Thomas who was Thomas Minshall's father in law. The Dissenters stuck together. The chapel provided free schooling and Sunday Schools in the first half of the 19th century. Very forward looking!!

    Jamesdon

  8. #8
    Newcomer to Brit-Gen
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    Oswestry
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    1

    Default Minshall Oswestry

    Quote Originally Posted by Mary Anne View Post
    Thank you Peter and Coromandel!


    Mary Anne
    Hi
    Are you still looking at the Minshalls of Castle View, Oswestry?
    Chris

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