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Newtown, Powys

Coordinates:52°30′48″N3°18′51″W/ 52.5132°N 3.3141°W/52.5132; -3.3141
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Newtown
Newtown town centre
Newtown is located in Powys
Newtown
Newtown
Location withinPowys
Population11,362 (2021)
OS grid referenceSO115915
Community
Principal area
Preserved county
  • Powys
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNEWTOWN
Postcode districtSY16
Dialling code01686
PoliceDyfed-Powys
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Websitewww.newtown.org.uk
List of places
UK
Wales
Powys
52°30′48″N3°18′51″W/ 52.5132°N 3.3141°W/52.5132; -3.3141

Newtown(Welsh:Y Drenewyddⓘ) is a town inPowys,Wales. It lies on theRiver Severnin the community ofNewtown and Llanllwchaiarn,within thehistoric boundariesofMontgomeryshire.It was designated anew townin 1967 and saw population growth as firms settled, changing itsmarket towncharacter. Its 2001 population of 10,780 rose to 11,357 in the 2011 census, and rose again to 11,362 in the 2021 census.[2][3]

Newtown was the birthplace ofRobert Owenin 1771, whose house stood on the present site of the HSBC Bank.[4]The town has a theatre, Theatr Hafren,[5]and a public gallery, Oriel Davies, displaying contemporary arts and crafts.[6]It is the largest town in Powys and Mid Wales.

Etymology[edit]

Both the English and Welsh names for the town mean "new town", the Welsh version with addition of thedefinite article.[7][8]

History[edit]

Foundation[edit]

During the early medieval period a hamlet named Llanfair-yng-Nghedewain lay within the area that is now Newtown.[9]Its original Welsh name is derived from being situated near aRiver Severnford below the Long Bridge and close to the church ofSt MaryinBettws Cedewain.[10]

The area came to the attention of theEnglish Crownin the 13th century whenLlywelyn ap Gruffudd,Prince of Wales,created a new administrative centre (Welsh:cantref) atDolforwyn CastlenearAbermulefollowing theTreaty of Montgomerybetween himself andHenry III.Llywelyn had the castle built to consolidate the land he had been given according to the treaty. However, it was not long after the death of Henry III in 1272 that tension arose with the English at their outpost ofMontgomery Castlein theWelsh Marches.This ledEdward Ito seize and capture Dolforwyn Castle in 1277. He then granted Llywelyn's lands to the powerfulMarcher Lord,Roger Mortimer,who transferred the administration of thecantrefof Cedewain and thecommoteof Ceri from Dolforwyn Castle to a new settlement he planned to build further down the valley at Newtown. The town's market charter was granted in 1279.[11][12]

With thesubjugation of the Welsh completed by 1282,Newtown was developed as anEnglish plantation townas part of Edward I's policy known as theRing of Iron.[12]

Industrialisation[edit]

Newtown street scene c.1890

The town grew in the 18th and 19th centuries around thetextileandflannelindustry, stimulated by completion of theMontgomeryshire Canal.In 1838, the town saw Wales's firstChartistdemonstration.

TheCambrian Mills,opened in 1856, were the first steam-driven mills in Newtown.[13]The mills stood beside the canal terminus on the east bank of the Severn.[14]They expanded to become the largest of the Welsh woollen mills.[13]However, by the end of the 19th century the Newtown mills were no longer competitive with those in the north of England.[13]There was a disastrous fire in 1910 and another in 1912, after which the Cambrian Mills were not rebuilt.[14]Thereafter Newtown was no longer an important centre of the woollen industry and many workers moved elsewhere.[15] Newtown hosted theNational Eisteddfodin 1965. In 1967, the town was designated anew town.It saw a large population growth as firms and people settled, changing itsruralmarket towncharacter.

Population[edit]

The population of Newtown in 2001 was 10,780, and increased to 11,347 in 2011. The census of 2021 recorded 11,362 people.[2]

Governance[edit]

There are two tiers of local government covering Newtown, atcommunity(town) andcountylevel:Newtown and LlanllwchaiarnTown Council (often abbreviated to Newtown Town Council) andPowys County Council.[16]

The two parishes of Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn were governed by a singlelocal boardfrom 1866.[17]Such local boards becameurban district councilsunder theLocal Government Act 1894,and the Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Urban District Council went on to govern the town from 1894 until 1974.[18]In 1974 all urban districts were abolished under theLocal Government Act 1972,with most of Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Urban District Council's functions passing toMontgomeryshire District Council.At the same time a community was established covering the area of the former urban district, with its council taking the name Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council.[19]Further local government reorganisation took place across Wales in 1996, when Montgomeryshire District Council was abolished and its functions passed to Powys County Council.[20]

The Town Council has 16 elected members serving five-year terms, and employs a staff of about ten.[21]It deals mainly with green spaces and public facilities, and as a representative voice for Newtown. The Council Chair or Mayor, elected by the councillors, has been Councillor John Byrne since May 2022.

The community is represented onPowys County Councilby five county councillors, each representing a ward:Newtown Central,Newtown East,Newtown Llanllwchaiarn West,Newtown Llanllwchaiarn West and Newtown South.[19]

Geography[edit]

Newtown lies about 8 miles (13 km) from theWales-England border,in the narrow valley of the River Severn, which restricts development north and south of the town. It is surrounded by small villages, often referred to collectively as the Newtown area. The Newtownpost townarea, including the villages, has a population approaching 16,000.[citation needed]The villages includeAberhafesp,Adfa,Bettws Cedewain,Bwlch-y-ffridd,Cefn-gwyn,Dolfor,Glanmule,Kerry,Llanllwchaiarn,Llanwyddelan,Mochdre,New Mills,Pentre,Rhydlydan,SarnandTregynon.[22]

Buildings and monuments[edit]

The Baptist Chapel

Built byPryce Pryce-Jones,the Pryce Jones Royal Welsh Warehouse remains the tallest building in Newtown. The two towering structures housed the world's firstmail orderservice depot.[23]

Bear Lanes, the town's main shopping centre, has a Tudor-style entrance. The building was once a hotel,The Bear,which contributes to the centre's appearance today.

The Robert Owen Museum is on the ground floor of the council offices in Brisco House, Broad Street.[24]A statue ofRobert Owenwas erected in 1956 in a park off Shortbridge Street and Gas Street. A replica of this was later erected inManchester.[25]

The Free Library building designed by the architectFrank ShaylerofShrewsburywas built in 1902. The Baptist Chapel, dating from 1881, is a fine example ofnonconformistarchitecture from that period. TheBack Lane drill hallwas completed in 1897.[26]

Theatres, museums and galleries[edit]

  • Theatr Hafren – a 555-seat venue[5]
  • Powys Theatre – home of the Newtown Amateur Dramatic Society[27]
  • Robert OwenMuseum
  • Textile Museum[28]
  • W H SmithMuseum (above the shop)[29]
  • Oriel Davies – largest visual arts venue in the region[6]

Transport[edit]

Newtown's stationis on theCambrian Lineserved byTransport for Wales.Trains run about once in two hours.

Local bus services in and around the town are operated by local, privately owned companies:Tanat Valley Coaches,Minsterley Motors,and Owen's Travelmaster. Newtown has oneNational Expressbus per day in each direction, to Aberystwyth and to London. Newtown has oneTrawsCymruroute toCardiffand a TrawsCymru Connect toMachynllethand toWrexham.Two major roads meet at Newtown: theA483fromSwanseatoChesterand theA489fromMachynllethtoCraven Arms.The bypass to the south of Newtown opened on 14 February 2019, having been planned since 1949.[30]

TheMontgomery Canalterminated in Newtown. After its closure in 1944, the Newtown section was sold for building land, but it gave its name to Canal Road and Lower Canal Road.

International relations[edit]

Twin towns - sister cities[edit]

Notable people[edit]

Robert Owen,1834
Main category:People from Newtown, Powys

Sport[edit]

Sports[edit]

Newtown A.F.C.is Newtown'sassociation footballclub, and a founding member of theWelsh Premier Leaguein 1992. The club was founded in 1875 as Newtown White Stars and won theWelsh FA Cupin 1879 and 1895.[32]It also entered the qualifying stages of theUEFA Cupon three occasions. The club plays atLatham Park.This has a capacity of 5,000 (1,750 seated) and a full UEFA licence, allowing under-21 international games and European games to be played. In 2007, another 250-seat stand was built next to the media gantry. Further developments are planned.[33]

Newtown RFCis the town'srugby unionclub, established in 1925. It currently fields first, second, third, youth and junior teams.[34]

Newtown has facilities for lawn bowls,[35]cricket,[36]golf,[37]/Club Site and for tennis.[38]Abasketball club,the Newtown Titans was set up in 2005, before being reconstituted as Mid-Wales Basketball Club in 2009.[39]

Education[edit]

The Newtown schools are Ysgol Cedewain (special needs), Ladywell Green (ages 4–7), Hafren Junior (7–11), Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd (4–11), St Mary's (4–11), Penygloddfa (4–11), Maesyrhandir (4-11), Treowen (4–11), and Newtown High School and Sixth Form (11–18). The last recently received an outstandingEstyninspection report in October 2015, praising many features, including teacher/sixth-form pupil relations and school support for a wide range of post-16 vocational and academic subjects. As of 2011, it was proposed thatNewtown High School,along with several other schools in Powys, should merge with another county high school, as part of Powys County Council's secondary school and post-16 modernisation programme.[40]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Newtown".
  2. ^abCity Population site. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  3. ^UK Census(2011)."Local Area Report – Newtown BUA (W37000100)".Nomis.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved17 November2021.
  4. ^BiographyRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  5. ^abTheatre siteRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  6. ^abGallery siteRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  7. ^Mills, A. D. (2003).A Dictionary of British Place-Names.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN9780198527589.
  8. ^"Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru".
  9. ^"Recorded name: Newtown (Llanfair-yn-Nghedewain),Newtown".historicplacenames.rcahmw.gov.uk.Retrieved7 September2023.
  10. ^Jones, D (November 2007). "Old town, Newtown".About Wales.Civic Trust for Wales.
  11. ^"Newtown".www.britannica.com.Retrieved7 September2023.
  12. ^ab"Newtown".britainexpress.com.Retrieved7 September2023.
  13. ^abcNewtown Local History Group (28 February 2014),Newtown Through Time,Amberley Publishing Limited, p. 144,ISBN978-1-4456-1701-5,retrieved31 March2016
  14. ^abWaiters, Mark (March 2003),An historical and archaeological study of the industrial heritage of Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales,Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, Curatorial Section, p. 16,retrieved31 March2016
  15. ^Cowey, Carolyn (2016),Pryce-Jones: Pioneer of the Mail Order Industry,BBC,retrieved31 March2016
  16. ^"Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council".Retrieved30 September2022.Newtown Town Council
  17. ^"No. 23137".The London Gazette.13 July 1866. p. 3986.
  18. ^"Newtown and Llanllwchaearn Urban District".A Vision of Britain through Time.GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.Retrieved30 September2021.
  19. ^ab"Election Maps".Ordnance Survey.Retrieved27 August2018.
  20. ^"Local Government (Wales) Act 1994",legislation.gov.uk,The National Archives,1994 c. 19,retrieved30 September2022
  21. ^Town Council information
  22. ^SY16 postcode information
  23. ^"Pryce Jones and the Royal Welsh Warehouse".Archived fromthe originalon 11 November 2013.Retrieved11 November2013.
  24. ^Penrose, Naomi (8 March 2017)."Plans to transform Newtown Council HQ".Shropshire Star.Retrieved18 September2018.
  25. ^Official site[1]Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  26. ^"Newtown".The Drill Hall Project.Retrieved21 August2017.
  27. ^Society siteRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  28. ^Museum siteRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  29. ^Lonely PlanetRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  30. ^"Town's bypass opens after 70-year wait".BBC News.14 February 2019.Retrieved28 May2020.
  31. ^"Owen, Robert".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 20 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 395.
  32. ^Wales – List of Cup Finals
  33. ^Official siteRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  34. ^Club siteRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  35. ^Club siteRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  36. ^Club siteRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  37. ^Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  38. ^Club siteRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  39. ^Basketball siteRetrieved 15 September 2018.
  40. ^Powys CC plansRetrieved 15 September 2018.

External links[edit]

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