We had an early start for a Saturday morning to drive to just outside Oswestry in Shropshire to visit the British Ironworks Centre. I had found out about it from Tiktok and knew it would be somewhere the whole family would be interested in visiting.
Craig booked the tickets online which was the reason for the early start, as if you got there before 9.30am it was only £4 per person instead of £14 which is obviously a substantial saving, especially when there is 5 of you.
The centre is split into two sections, the sculpture trail and the actual centre. Dogs are allowed on site but you cannot take a picnic with you. There is a cafe serving food and drinks on the site as well as an ice cream parlour. There are a number of signs saying that the centre relies on sales in the cafe hence the reason for no picnics. We were not aware of this and had brought food with us. We ate that later after we had left the centre. There is also a charge for parking.
As we drove in we were greeted by some very impressive sculptures so you can get a taste of what to expect.
There are various sections of the sculpture trail and we decided to head to the front and do the Extinction trail first. All the animal sculptures had boards underneath describing the animal similar to ones you would find in a zoo.
Near the entrance to the centre itself there were some familiar characters who were easily identifiable
There were also lots of original designs that artists had created and the messages were displayed underneath the sculpture. Some were purely for joy but some also had a more serious message to put out.
The Manchester Bee created from guns and knives to promote anti-violence in the city.
The Knife Angel is obviously made from knives and was created to highlight the effects of knife crimes on communities.
This sculpture was created in 2015 due to the large number of British males leaving the country to fight in foreign wars without truly being aware of the implications of their actions on themselves, their futures, their families and their communities.
After we had completed the trail we went into the Ironworks centre itself. Dogs are not allowed inside the building but there was plenty of outside space and seating for us all. It was at this point we all needed refreshments so drinks and crisps were purchased from the cafe and we relaxed for a short time before heading off to the section Matthew and Emma's partner Sam, were the most interested in- The Heroes and Villains section.
All in all, we spent about 3 hours doing the trail and in the centre itself and we did not rush round despite the dogs dragging us around and not wanting to stop and admire the sculptures.
I would say it is good value even at £14 but even better if you can get there early for £4. I cannot say what the food is like as we didn't eat anything there but there is certainly plenty to see and Oswestry is only a couple of miles away if you want to make a day of it.
We all enjoyed the day, I just wish the weather had been better for the photos.
