Oswestry Library

The library sits right in the heart of Oswestry town centre, a proper Victorian building that's been doing its job for well over a century. Inside, you'll find the usual suspects - books, computers, a reading room that's actually quiet enough to concentrate in - but what strikes you most is how it's become a genuine community hub rather than just a place to grab a novel and leg it.

Histor enthusiasts will dig the local studies collection, which holds some solid material on the Marches and the area's medieval past. There's also a reasonable children's section if you've got little ones dragging along, though don't expect it to occupy them for more than an hour or so. The staff know their stuff and aren't the type to shush you for existing.

It's free to use, obviously, and works well as a pit-stop if you're staying at Tanat Holiday Park just down the road. On a drizzly Welsh afternoon - and you'll get those - it beats staring at the caravan interior. The building itself, with its period features, is worth a quick look even if you're not planning to crack open a book. Pop in for half an hour to warm up and scope out some local history guides before heading back out to explore the town proper or venture further into the countryside. Useful rather than unmissable, but solid all the same.