Newtown (y
Drenewydd) is located on the banks of the River Severn in Powys Mid Wales.
Traveling on the A483 through Mid Wales you will find Newtown between
the towns of Welshpool to the north and Llandrindod Wells to the south.
The town
owes it's existence to the troubled history between the Welsh and the
English and in particular the building of the castle of Dolforwyn
in the 13th Century.
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd,
Llywelyn the Last, was testing the limits of the English King Edward
1. Llywelyn had already built a number of forts within his stronghold
of North Wales and the Welsh Prince set about
the building of Dolforwyn Castle, at Abermule some 5 miles north of Newtown,
in 1273 on the very doorstep of Edward's domain.
The English monarch
could not tolerate this threat to his authority and ordered Llywelyn
to cease building Dolforwyn Castle. Llywelyn refused and the Welsh castle
was completed in 1277. The English reacted and
Dolforwyn was captured by Roger Mortimer after a fortnight's siege with
the castle and lands being claimed by the powerful marcher family, the
Mortimers.. Llywelyn's
"new town" of Cedewain to the west of the castle was suppressed
under the English, and in 1279 Roger Mortimer founded the present market
town of Newtown some 5 miles south of Abermule on the banks of
the River Severn.
In the 18th and 19th Centuries the town grew around the
textile and flannel industry due to the rapid expansion of hand-looms
and the arrival of the Montgomeryshire Canal. In
1838 the town saw Wales' first Chartist demonstration. But Newtown is
most proud of being the birth place
of Robert Owen
the social
reformer and one of the founders of socialism and the cooperative movement
who was born (1771) and educated in Newtown.
The son of a saddler and ironmonger he was the 6th of 7 children. His
mother came from one of the prosperous farming families and Robert
Owen served in a draper's shop before crossing the border and
settling in Manchester.
Today Newtown is the largest town in Mid
Wales and on the
tuesday Market Days the bustling main street
has a wide variety of stalls from fruit and veg to old iron
tools and farm implements, hosted by equally interesting stall holders.
There are a number of pubs, guest houses and hotels in the town centre
and there is a pleasant walk from the main street that crosses
over the River Severn via the suspension bridge into Dolerw Park, a
green and pleasant space with some fine mature trees. And should
you be feeling very energetic the Severn Way, one of the longest waymarked
walking trails in Britain at 210 miles (338 kms), passes through the
town of Newtown.
Rather sadly Newtown claims a connection with MP Lembit
Opik and his weather-girlfriend Sian Lloyd. The couple have now parted
and Opic now dates one cheek of "The Cheeky Girls". The
latest update on this is.........no we won't go there!
There are a number of interesting museums in Newtown including the
the W H Smith Museum, the Robert Owen Museum, the Textile
Museum, and
the Oriel Davies Gallery.
The Newtown branch of WH Smith at 24 High Street
is a unique example of how all WH Smiths shops had previously looked.
In the 1970's the
shop was restored to its original condition - as it would have been when
first opened in 1927. Modern fittings and fixtures were removed to reveal
the original tiles, mirrors and decorations, still in good condition.
Shop fittings were restored, replacement tables to display books were
created, underfloor heating installed, and the modern lighting was replaced
by specially made 1920's style fittings. The restoration was such a
success that three years later
the company museum was established upstairs in a
space that was once a W. H. Smith Lending Library. The small museum traces
the history of WH Smith, from its beginnings in London, in 1792, to the
present day. Using storyboards, models and memorabilia, it charts the
fascinating progress of a family run business that has flourished for
over two centuries, to become one of today's biggest British companies
and a household name.
The Robert Owen Museum tells the remarkable
story of Robert Owen, born in Newtown in 1771. A village boy who hobnobbed
with royalty. A shop assistant who became a factory manager. An educator
with little education. A rich man who fought for the poor. A capitalist
who became the first "socialist".
An individualist who inspired the Co-operative movement.....
Newtown Textile Museum is housed in an early
19th century weaving shop. The building is a fine example of a typical
early 19th century weaving shop. It consists of two floors of six (now
three) back-to-back cottages and two large rooms on the second and third
floors running the full length of the building. The exhibition looks
at the process from wool to yarn, it tells the history of the woollen
industry in Newtown, the consequences for the town and its people and
it includes other related industries such as tanning and clog-making.
Robert Owen Memorial Museum
The Cross, Broad Street, Newtown
(01686) 626345 |
Newtown Textile Museum
Commercial Street, Newtown
(01686) 622024 |
W.H.Smith Museum
24 High Street, Newtown
(01686) 626280 |
Pryce Jones Museum
Pryce Jones, Station Road, Newtown
(01686) 626911 |
|
|
