THE extent of the damage to one of Oswestry's most iconic buildings has been revealed in new pictures.

Shropshire Council has shared images taken of the Cambrian Heritage Railway (CHR) building on Oswald Road to explain why the Grade Two listed feature has been covered in scaffolding for more than 18 months.

The scaffolding was first erected in early 2022 following consecutive storms affected the structure.

Earlier this week, the council confirmed plans are being put together between the authority and a number of stakeholders including CHR’s voluntary group, Oswestry Town Council and the Future Oswestry Group.

Border Counties Advertizer: Damage to the corbels at the heritage railway building. Damage to the corbels at the heritage railway building. (Image: Shropshire Council.)

The plans will look at long-term solutions to repair work to the building in Oswald Road; however, it means the scaffolding – which many residents have considered a blight on the building – will now be there for longer.

It had initially been hoped that structural work over this year would be enough to return the building to its original state without scaffolding.

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A Shropshire Council spokesman said: “The building is a high-status Victorian building constructed largely of brick and with an ornate row of corbels forming part of the soffit under the eaves.

“The corbels are specifically referenced in the listing by Historic England and are a key feature of the building.”

However, the corbels are currently in a poor, disintegrated state.

Border Counties Advertizer: More damaged corbels at Oswestry's railway building. More damaged corbels at Oswestry's railway building. (Image: Shropshire Council.)

Meanwhile, North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has welcomed the news of a move towards a long-term solution for the building, which is central to plans to return the railways to the town.

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She said: “It is really positive to hear that progress is now being made on making the most of the Oswestry Station building.

“I met with Cambrian Heritage Railways to discuss their ambitions for the future earlier this month and wrote to Shropshire Council surrounding the scaffolding and repairs issue, so I know it will be warmly welcomed by many that some progress is now being made.

“The important job now is to make sure the work is done in a timely and cost-efficient manner, especially after the recent saga down the road in Church Street where plastic barriers were costing Shropshire Council £8,000 a month.”