Delight as Shropshire war poet’s house listed

None of them would have guessed that just a few years later the young man would lie dead on a foreign battlefield – but his words telling the horrors of the First World War would continue to inspire people until the present day.

Now, the terraced house which was once home of Wilfred Owen has been awarded grade II listed status from English Heritage – meaning it can only be changed with consent from the heritage protection organisation.

The status, first revealed by the Shropshire Star earlier this month, was confirmed today.

And it is a move supported by Peter Owen, nephew of the soldier and poet, and president of the Wilfred Owen Association.

“He always liked to have the top bedroom,” said Mr Owen. “There weren’t houses across the road from it back when the family lived there. It would have been a racecourse so he would have looked over the Shrewsbury countryside.”

The house in 69 Monkmoor Road, built in 1910, was home to Owen during his teenage years, when his literary ambitions were ignited when he discovered the poetry of Wordsworth. And it was his last permanent home before he was killed in action.

“It is an extremely good idea to list this building – it means people can go and visit and see why it is worth preserving,” his nephew said. “It is amazing to think about what he did there.”

The poet-to-be was known to bike down to Haughmond Hill, as well as take long walks by the River Severn.

Mr Owen said: “His father was very interested in nature and knew all about the Shrewsbury countryside. He and Wilfred used to walk down across the Severn.”

Helen McPhail, member and former chairman of the Wilfred Owen Association, said: “The owners have done a lot to restore it to how it would have looked. They were keen to make it that kind of family home and I think that is important.

“It was here that he was doing his key years of growing up. It was here he studied and went to school and he was very much part of Shrewsbury. It is so pleasing because it gives it identification and acknowledges his part here.”

And for English Heritage, there were a number of reasons to list the building.

Its listed entry said: “The house is little altered since the Owen family left, retaining its plan and the majority of its fixtures and fittings from the early years of the 20th century that Owen would recognise.

“69 Monkmoor Road is a good example of the sort of modest, suburban houses which were constructed in large numbers in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and which rarely survive so complete.

“Although it would not merit listing on its architectural merit, its designation on grounds of its historic association with Wilfred Owen allows a representative example of this type of building to be included on the List.”

Daniel Kawczynski, Shrewsbury and Atcham MP, said: “Obviously Wilfred Owen was the greatest poet of World War I and his standing in the town and the country is very significant and I am pleased his home here has been listed. This can only be a step that English Heritage thought necessary and I support the move.”

Heritage minister Ed Vaizey added: “Wilfred Owen was one of the most profound and distinct voices of the First World War. His bleak and candid accounts of the horrors of war have shaped our understanding of life on the Western Front.”