To help secure a viable long-term use for a Grade-II-listed Cambrian Heritage Railways building at Oswestry in Shropshire, a project group has been established to agree to a suitable programme of repairs.

The building is an impressive Victorian building built mainly of brick with an ornate row of corbels that forms part of the soffit under the eaves. The corbels are of sufficient importance that they are specifically referenced in a listing by Historic England and are a key feature of the building.

The project group consists of Shropshire Council working with Cambrian Heritage Railways, Oswestry Town Council, the Future Oswestry Group and conservation experts. The building has suffered from many years of neglect, and after being hit by storm damage last year, Shropshire Council agreed to take possession of the building in earlier this year.

The organisations established a project group to oversee the surveying, planning, and restoration of the building, following which Shropshire Council installed scaffolding around it to safeguard pedestrians and to facilitate inspection and repair of the corbels found under the eaves.

Unfortunately, the repair work has proved to be more complex than originally thought and the contractor appointed to do the work has been unable to effect a short-term repair as had been hoped. Help has now been requested from specialists in the council s conservation team, and from historic building specialists who are investigating how the corbels can be stabilised.

The unforeseen problems mean that the scaffolding will need to stay in place while a comprehensive project is undertaken to stabilise and address the building s poor condition, including discussions with the Oswestry Town Council, Cambrian Heritage Railways, and Future Oswestry Group.

To support future repairs and improvements, the project group is also trying to identify opportunities to obtain funding for the work.

Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for housing and assets, said “Shropshire Council took possession of the Cambrian Heritage Railways building earlier this year to help secure a viable long term use for what is a very important historic building for Oswestry.

“Sadly a short-term repair hasn t been possible and the scaffolding will likely need to remain in place for a long period. Whilst this may be disappointing news, it will help ensure that the repairs are undertaken correctly and sympathetically to safeguard the future of the building, whilst also ensuring the continued the safety of the public.”