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.