Shelf Bank
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shelf Bank | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 145 m (476 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Shropshire, England |
| OS grid | SJ296299 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 126 |
52°51′43″N 3°02′50″W / 52.86196°N 3.04711°W Shelf Bank is a hill in the centre of Oswestry which has been a local nature reserve since 2014.[1][2] It has an elevation of 145 m (476 ft) and is a 3-hectare (7.4-acre) area consisting of acid grassland and naturally regenerated areas of woodland and scrub.
The site occupies the majority of a knoll which offers views across Oswestry town and the wider Shropshire countryside. For that reason during World War II anti-aircraft guns and lookout posts were established on the summit. Along the southern edge of the site there can be found a section of Wat's Dyke, an earth bank structure dating back to the Dark Ages. On the North side, it was surrounded by a vast desolate area of old railway sidings of the Cambrian Railways' Oswestry Branch Line (closed in the 1960s) and a huge Victorian engineering works, that has now been converted into a new Health Centre. On the rare occasions when snow falls in the town, it provides the local populace with superb sledging opportunities.
