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Machynlleth

Coordinates:52°35′28″N3°50′56″W/ 52.591°N 3.849°W/52.591; -3.849
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Machynlleth
Market town
Machynlleth Clock Tower
Machynlleth is located in Powys
Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Location withinPowys
Population2,235 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSH745005
Community
Principal area
Preserved county
  • Powys
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMACHYNLLETH
Postcode districtSY20
Dialling code01654
PoliceDyfed-Powys
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Powys
52°35′28″N3°50′56″W/ 52.591°N 3.849°W/52.591; -3.849

Machynlleth(pronounced[maˈχənɬɛθ]ⓘ) is amarket town,communityandelectoral wardinPowys,Walesand within the historic boundaries ofMontgomeryshire.It is in theDyfi Valleyat the intersection of theA487and theA489roads. At the2001 Censusit had a population of 2,147,[3]rising to 2,235 in 2011.[1]It is sometimes referred tocolloquiallyasMach.[4]

Machynlleth was the seat ofOwain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404,[5]and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official recognition as a capital. It applied forcity statusin 2000 and 2002, but was unsuccessful. It istwinnedwithBelleville, Michigan.[6][7]

Machynlleth hosted theNational Eisteddfodin 1937 and 1981.

Etymology

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The etymology of the name Machynlleth derives frommaes[field, plain] andCynllaith.[8]The ending 's' ofmaesis the cause of the 'c' ofCynllaithbecoming 'ch':maes cynllaith > machynllethreflecting a standard phonological development in Welsh.

History

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There is a long history of human activity in the Machynlleth area. In the late 1990s,radiocarbon datingshowed thatcopperwas being mined in theEarly Bronze Age(c.2,750 years ago), within 1 mile (1.6 km) of the town centre.

TheRomanssettled in the area; they built afortat Cefn Caer, nearPennal,2.5 miles (4 km) west of Machynlleth, and are reputed to have had two look-out posts above the town atBryn-y-gogandWylfa,and another fort, called Maglona, at Machynlleth.[9]One of the earliest written references to Machynlleth is theRoyal chartergranted in 1291 byEdward ItoOwen de la Pole,Lord of Powys. This gave him the right to hold "amarket[5]at Machynlleth every Wednesday for ever and two fairs every year ". The Wednesday market is still a busy and popular day in Machynlleth 700 years later.

The Royal House,which stands on the corner of theGarsiwn,is another of themediaevalhouses that can still be seen today. According to local tradition,Dafydd Gam,a Welsh ally of the English kings, was imprisoned here from 1404 to 1412 for attempting to assassinateOwain Glyndŵr.After his release by Glyndŵr, ransomed Gam fought alongsideHenry Vat theBattle of Agincourtand is named amongst the dead inShakespeare'sHenry V.The name Royal House undoubtedly refers to the tradition thatCharles Istayed at the house in 1643.[citation needed]

The weekly market and biannual fair thrived, and in 1613 drew complaints from other towns whose trading in cloth was being severely affected. A document dated 1632[citation needed]shows that animals for sale came from all overMerionethshire,Montgomeryshire,Cardiganshire,CarmarthenshireandDenbighshire,and prospective buyers came fromFlintshire,Radnorshire,Brecknockshire,HerefordshireandShropshire,in addition to the above.

Dyfi Bridge

TheDyfi Bridge(Welsh:Pont ar Ddyfi) was first mentioned in 1533, by Geoffrey Hughes, "Citizen and Merchant taylour of London" who left£6 13s 4d(tenmarks) "towards making of a bridge at the toune of Mathanlleth". By 1601 "Dovey bridge in theHundredof Mochunleth "was reported to be insufficient, and the current one was built in 1805 for £250. Fenton describes it in 1809 as" A noble erection of five large arches. The piers are narrow and over each cut-water is a pilaster, a common feature of the 18th century ".[This quote needs a citation]

Machynlleth,c.1830

Rowland Pughwas the Lord of Meirionedd,[10]and lived atMathafarnabout two miles east of Machynlleth. Pugh supported theRoyalistside in theEnglish Civil War.On 2 November 1644,Sir Thomas MyddletonofChirk Castlewas marching on Machynlleth with a force of theParliamentarianarmy, when he was ambushed by a force organised by Pugh. In retaliation for the attack, Myddleton burned down Mathafarn on 29 November 1644, along with a number of houses in Machynlleth.[11]

Laura Ashley's first shop was opened in Machynlleth (at 35 Maengwyn Street) in 1961.[12]

Thedisappearance of April Jonesin October 2012 received a large amount of coverage in the UK media.

Plas Machynlleth,the Londonderry family and the Clock Tower

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Machynlleth Clock Tower, circa 1885
Y Plas, Machynlleth

In 1846 Mary Cornelia, the daughter of a local landownerSir John EdwardsmarriedViscount Seaham,the second son of thethird Marquess of Londonderryand they set up home atPlas Machynlleth.Seaham became Earl Vane on the death of his father and the fifth Marquess on the death ofhis half-brother.

To celebrate the 21st birthday of the Seahams’ eldest son,Viscount Castlereagh,the townspeople paid for the clock tower which stands at the town's main road intersection. Erected on the site of the old town hall, it has become the symbol of the town. The foundation stone was laid on 15 July 1874 amid great festivities. The clock tower, designed byHenry Kennedyof Bangor and now aGrade II listedmonument, cost £800; the townspeople raised £1,000, of which the remainder was spent planting trees along nearby streets.[13]Meanwhile, a new town hall was erected on the east side of Penrallt Street in 1872; after becoming unsafe, it was demolished in 1968.[14]

Another son,Lord Herbert Vane-Tempest,was the last member of the family to live at the Plas and was killed in theAbermule train collisionon theCambrian Railways,of which he was a director.

The house was given to the townspeople in December 1948 under the stewardship of the then Machynlleth Urban District Council.

Celtica

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Various local government re-organisations saw responsibility for the Plas pass first to Montgomeryshire District Council, who in 1995 converted it into theCeltica visitor centre.Celtica interpreted the history and culture of the Celts with a walk-through audio-visual exhibition housed in a purpose-built addition to the house. The £3 million attraction was part-funded by theEuropean Union.The centre had a high-profile in the Welsh media, with opera singerBryn Terfelofficially opening the attraction in October 1995.

Powys County Counciltook over Celtica and the house when it was formed as aunitary authorityin 1997. The centre was successful in attracting tourists, school groups and conferences for a number of years; however initial predictions of visitor numbers proved to be too ambitious, and the council was unwilling to prolong its subsidy. With little scope for alternative investment, Celtica closed in March 2006, and the house stood empty while Powys County Council sought to relinquish responsibility for it in line with their policy of selling many of their publicly owned buildings.

On 1 April 2008, in a move thought to be unprecedented for a community council of its size, Machynlleth Town Council took ownership of the Plas and its parkland and facilities. It has reopened the restaurant by leasing it to a local licensee, and the 1st and 2nd floors of the main building are rented out as office space. Medium-sized meeting rooms and conference space are also offered for hire.

Transport

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Machynlleth railway stationwas built by theNewtown and Machynlleth Railway;it provides services toAberystwythand theCambriancoast to the west, andNewtownandShrewsburyto the east. Services are operated byTransport for Wales.[15]

The town is home to the signalling centre that controls theEuropean Rail Traffic Management System(ERTMS) on theCambrian Line.The system went into full operational use in March 2011.

From 1859 to 1948, the town was served by thenarrow gaugeCorris Railway,which brought slate from the quarries aroundCorrisandAberllefennifor onward despatch to the markets. The railway's original station,Machynlleth Townwas on Brickfield Street, and operated from about 1860 to about 1874. It was replaced by anew station,opened in 1874, next to the mainline station.[16]A new station building was built in 1905, and can still be seen alongside the road approaching the town from the north.

Machynlleth is served by twoTrawsCymrulong-distance bus routes. The T2 connects the town withBangorto the north and continues to Aberystwyth, where connections can be made to South Wales. There is also the T12 which runs toWrexham,via Newtown; this is branded asTrawsCymru Connect.[17]

Welsh language

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Machynlleth retains its linguistic tradition, withWelshspoken alongsideEnglish.The 2011Censusindicated that 67% of the population have some knowledge of Welsh, with 39% able to read, write and speak the language.[18]

Owain Glyndŵr

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See also:Owain Glyndŵr's Parliament House, Machynlleth
The building said to be Owain Glyndŵr's 1404 Parliament House

Machynlleth has a special role in Welsh history because of its connection withOwain Glyndŵr,aPrince of Waleswho rebelled against the English during the reign ofKing Henry IV.Owain was crowned Prince of Wales in 1404 near the Parliament House, which is one of three mediaeval houses in town, in the presence of leaders fromScotland,FranceandSpain,and he held his own Parliament in the town. He held his last parliament in the nearby village ofPennal,by theChurch of St Peter ad Vincula.It is thought that after the rebellion floundered, Owain went into hiding in the area around Machynlleth.

Tourism and other economic activities

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The town has a market on Wednesdays which includes traditional Welsh, Spanish and French food stalls.

Performance at the 2016 comedy festival

The town has hosted the Machynlleth Comedy Festival annually since May 2010, featuring comedians such asJon Richardson,Pappy's,Josie Long,Stewart LeeandRichard Herring.The festival dominates the town for a weekend, with events running over three days in nine venues.[19]

Machynlleth lies onGlyndŵr's Wayand theDyfi Valley Way,twolong-distance footpaths.

MoMA Wales

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Machynlleth is the home of theMuseum of Modern Art (MoMA), Wales.It originated in 1986 asY Tabernacl,a centre of performing arts in an old chapel, a private initiative by former journalist Andrew Lambert. In 1994 this was expanded with a new complex of art galleries, a recording studio and a language laboratory.[20]Lambert had previously tried to convert the town's old railway station into a hotel and museum, employing international architectRichard Rogers.[20]

MoMA Wales hosts the annualMachynlleth Festival,as well as its own annual open exhibition of art.[21]

Environment

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Machynlleth is the home of Ecodyfi, a locally controlled organisation that was set up to foster and support a greener community and economy in the Dyfi Valley.[22]

TheCentre for Alternative Technologyis based in a disused quarry three miles from Machynlleth.

In December 2019 Machynlleth council was the first in Wales to declare aclimate emergency.[23][24][25][26]

Governance

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There are two tiers of local government covering Machynlleth:

  • Machynlleth Town Council atcommunity(town) level. The town council is based at Y Plas and has twelve councillors.[27][28]In 2019, the town council became the first in Wales to formally supportWelsh independence.[29]
  • Powys County Councilatcountylevel. The ward elects a county councillor. The current county councillor, Michael Williams, was unopposed again at theMay 2017 election,but won a contested election in 2022. He had been elected unopposed since first winning the seat in 1980. He had also sat on the Machynlleth Town Council since 1974.[30]

In both theSeneddand theUK House of Commons,Machynlleth sits within the Montgomeryshire constituency, whose MS and MP are ConservativesRussell GeorgeandCraig Williamsrespectively.

Administrative history

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Machynlleth was anancient parishin the historic county ofMontgomeryshire.[31]When elected parish and district councils were established in 1894, the parish was made anurban district.[32]The Machynlleth Urban District was abolished in 1974, with its area instead becoming a community. District-level functions passed toMontgomery District Council,which in turn was abolished in 1996 and its functions passed to Powys County Council.[33][34]

Sport

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Machynlleth Town Football Club, founded in 1885, plays in theSparMid-Wales district leagueand the reserve team is in the Cambrian Tyres Division 2 Amateur football league. The Machynlleth Rugby Club plays in theNorth Wales Division 2.

portrait ofOwain Glyndŵr
The 6th Marquess of Londonderry,as viceroy of Ireland
Edward M. Lewis,1922

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ab"Machynlleth 2011".Retrieved8 January2018.
  2. ^"Machynlleth Town Council Website".Machynlleth Town Council.Retrieved18 September2021.
  3. ^"Parish Headcounts: Powys".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved24 December2012.
  4. ^"Machynlleth: the small market town where April Jones was abducted".The Daily Telegraph.2 October 2012.Retrieved30 April2013.
  5. ^abThe Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales.John Davies,Nigel Jenkins,Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) pg527ISBN978-0-7083-1953-6
  6. ^"Sister Cities By State And By Countries In Other Nations As Of June, 1972".Town Affiliation Association of the United States. June 1972 – viaUniversity of Toledo.
  7. ^Owens, David (15 August 2021)."How the birthplace of techno came to be twinned with a Welsh market town".Nation.Cymru.Retrieved28 February2024.
  8. ^Mills, A. D. (2003).A Dictionary of British Place-Names.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN9780198527589.
  9. ^Evan Jones (2009).A Portrait of Machynlleth and Its Surroundings.Coch Y Bonddu Books. p. 1.ISBN978-1-904784-24-1.
  10. ^Skinner, John (1878).Archaeologia Cambrensis.Cambrian Archaeological Association.
  11. ^Morgan, Wendy (2003).Caeheulon and the Parish of Penegoes.Machynlleth: Coch-y-Bonddu Books.ISBN9780954211769.
  12. ^Bryan, Nicola (29 September 2015)."Laura Ashley 30 years on: Memories of the girl from Dowlais".BBC News.Retrieved28 January2016.
  13. ^"Twitter: The town clock that only chimes on social media".BBC News Wales.8 July 2023.
  14. ^"Site of Town Hall".History Points.Retrieved27 May2024.
  15. ^"Timetables".Transport for Wales.May 2023.Retrieved20 July2023.
  16. ^MRFS;Quine, Dan(July 2024). "Corris Railway Stations at Machynlleth Before Steam".Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review(139). RCL Publications.
  17. ^"Machynlleth Bus Services".Bus Times.2023.Retrieved20 July2023.
  18. ^2001 Census Neighbourhood Statistics: Machynlleth
  19. ^"Machynlleth Comedy Festival home page".Retrieved2 May2014.
  20. ^abRowan, Eric; Stewart, Carolyn (2002), "Conclusions",An Elusive Tradition: Art and Society in Wales 1870 – 1950,Cardiff:University of Wales Press,pp. 216–7,ISBN0-7083-1769-3
  21. ^Whitfield, Paul; Le Nevez, Catherine; Stewart, Carolyn (2012),The Rough Guide to Wales,Rough Guides,p. 285,ISBN978-1-405389815,archived fromthe originalon 22 December 2014
  22. ^"If it's broken, fix it!".Cambrian News.Retrieved4 March2020.
  23. ^"UK Parliament declares climate emergency".BBC News.1 May 2019.Retrieved4 March2020.
  24. ^Turney, Chris."UK becomes first country to declare a 'climate emergency'".The Conversation.Retrieved4 March2020.
  25. ^"It's the climate emergency, stupid".GOV.UK.Retrieved4 March2020.
  26. ^"The U.K. Has Officially Declared a 'Climate Emergency'".Time.Retrieved4 March2020.
  27. ^"Contact us".Machynlleth Town Council.Retrieved18 January2024.
  28. ^Rachel Flint (1 June 2017)."Mayor and new Machynlleth council take a bow".Cambrian News.Retrieved21 January2018.
  29. ^Gedge, Anthony."Machynlleth first town to back Welsh independence".Retrieved4 June2020.
  30. ^Rachel Flint (2 May 2017)."Uncontested council election seats 'mockery of democracy'".BBC News.Retrieved21 January2018.
  31. ^"Machynlleth Ancient Parish / Civil Parish".A Vision of Britain through Time.GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.Retrieved18 January2024.
  32. ^Annual Report of the Local Government Board.1895. p. 270.Retrieved18 January2024.
  33. ^Local Government Act 1972
  34. ^Local Government (Wales) Act 1994
  35. ^Kingsford, Charles Lethbridge(1911)."Glendower, Owen".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 12 (11th ed.). pp. 120–121.
  36. ^"Rogers, Henry".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 23 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 455.
  37. ^"machynlleth people".www.machynlleth.info.Retrieved4 March2020.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toMachynlleth.
Preceding station Heritage RailwaysHeritage railways Following station
Terminus Corris Railway Ffridd Gate
Preceding station National RailNational Rail Following station
Transport for Wales
Cambrian Line
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