Machynlleth
Encyclopedia
Machynlleth is a market town
in Powys
, Wales
. It is in the Dyfi Valley
at the intersection of the A487
and the A489
roads.
Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr
's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official recognition as a capital. From 1536 to 1974 it lay in the historic county of Montgomeryshire
(Sir Drefaldwyn). It applied for city status in 2000 and 2002 but was unsuccessful.
Machynlleth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1937 and 1981.
showed that copper
mining
was taking place in the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2750 years ago), within a mile of the town centre. But there are legends of a once fertile plain, the Cantre'r Gwaelod, now lost beneath the waves of Cardigan Bay
.
The Romans
settled in the area to an extent. They built a small Roman fort at Pennal
(Cefn Caer) four miles west of Machynlleth, and are reputed to have had two look-out posts above the town at Bryn-y-gog and Wylfa. But one of the earliest written references to Machynlleth is the Royal charter
granted in 1291 by Edward I
to Owen de la Pole
, Lord of Powys. This gave him the right to hold "a market
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 on.
Royal House, which stands on the corner of the Garsiwn, is another of the mediæval houses 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 assassinate Owain Glyndŵr
. After his release by Glyndwr, ransomed Gam fought alongside Henry V
at the Battle of Agincourt
and is named amongst the dead in Shakespeare's Henry V
. The name Royal House undoubtedly refers to the tradition that Charles I
stayed at the house in 1643.
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 shows that animals for sale came from all over Merionethshire
, Montgomeryshire
, Cardiganshire
, Carmarthenshire
and Denbighshire
, and prospective buyers came from Flintshire
, Radnorshire
, Brecknockshire
, Herefordshire
and Shropshire
, in addition to the above.
The Dyfi Bridge was first mentioned in 1533, by Geoffrey Hughes, "Citizen and Merchant taylour of London" who left £6 13/4
"towards making of a bridge at the toune of Mathanlleth". By 1601 "Dyfi bridge in the Hundred of 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 eighteenth century".
On 29 November 1644, a Civil War
battle took place near Dyfi Bridge between Oliver Cromwell
's New Model Army
, commanded by Sir
Thomas Myddelton
of Chirk Castle
, and the Royalists
. A great many were killed and the nearby manor house Mathafarn was burnt down on the same day. Many houses in Machynlleth occupied by Royalists were also burned down.
,in 1846 and they set up home in Plas Machynlleth
. He became Earl Vane on the death of his father and the fifth Marquess on the death of his half-brother
.
To celebrate the 21st birthday of their eldest son, Viscount Castlereagh
, the townspeople subscribed to the erection (at the town's main road intersection) of the Clock Tower, which has become widely known as the symbol of Machynlleth. The tower, which stands on the site of the old Town Hall, is the first thing many visitors will notice. The foundation stone was laid on 15 July 1874 amid great festivities.
Another son, Lord Herbert Vane-Tempest, was the last member of the family to live at the Plas and was killed in the Abermule train collision
on the Cambrian 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. Various local government re-organisations saw it pass first to Montgomeryshire District Council, who in 1995 converted it into the Celtica 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 European Union. The centre had a high-profile in the Welsh media, with opera singer Bryn Terfel officially opening the attraction in October 1995. Powys County Council took over Celtica and the house when a new unitary authority was formed in 1997. The centre was successful in attracting tourist, school groups and conferences for a number of years, however initial visitor number predictions proved to be too ambitious and Powys Council were unwilling to prolong its subsidy and 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. At this point, Machynlleth's Town Council, realising that the Town was in danger of losing the Plas house and grounds, which they saw as belonging to the community in the spirit of the 1948 bequest, began discussions with Powys County Council with a view to the Town Council taking ownership of the Plas. 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 re-opened 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.
, which brought slate from the quarries around Corris
and Aberllefenni
for onward despatch to the markets. The railway's Machynlleth station building, built in 1905, can still be seen alongside the road approaching the town from the north.
Machynlleth main-line station
was built by the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway, and continues to provide a link to Aberystwyth
and the Cambria
n coast to the west and Newtown and Shrewsbury
to the east. Currently services are run by Arriva Trains Wales
.
Machynlleth is home to the signalling centre that will control the new European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)
on the Cambrian Line
. The system went into operational use in March 2011.
spoken alongside English
. The 2001 Census
indicated that 70% of the 2000-strong population have some knowledge of Welsh with 42% able to read, write and speak the language.
, a Prince of Wales
who rebelled against the English during the reign of King Henry IV
. Owain was crowned Prince of Wales in 1404 near the Parliament House, which is one of three mediæval houses in town, in the presence of leaders from Scotland
, France
and Spain
, and he held his own Parliament in the town. He held his last parliament in the nearby village of Pennal
, by the Church of St Peter ad Vincula
. It is thought that after the rebellion floundered, Owain went into hiding in the area around Machynlleth.
is the primary employment sector with a wide range of activity based attractions (for example several mountain biking
trails) as well as the visitor centre at the Centre for Alternative Technology
. Agriculture
continues to play a significant part in the make-up of the town and surrounding area. Another important local industry and employer is the renewable energy
sector. Driven by the Centre for Alternative Technology (a research centre dedicated to the development of sustainable technologies), the area also hosts a wind farm
at Cemmaes
. The area now has a rapidly-expanding renewable energy industry with several small to medium sized companies now operating in or around the town.
The town has a large market on Wednesdays which includes traditional Welsh together with Spanish and French food stalls. The Wales Museum of Modern Art
, MOMA, Wales
, presents talks and performances on market days.
The town hosted the 2011 Machynlleth Comedy Festival, which ran from 29 April to 1 May, and featured comedians Jon Richardson
and Pappy's.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is in the Dyfi Valley
River Dyfi
The River Dyfi is a river in Mid Wales. The Dyfi estuary forms the border between the counties of Gwynedd and Ceredigion.- Source :...
at the intersection of the A487
A487 road
The A487 is a trunk road in Wales, running up the western side of the country from Haverfordwest in the south to Bangor in the north.It starts at Merlin's Bridge near Haverfordwest, from where it travels north west to St David's, then switches back north east through Fishguard, Cardigan, Aberaeron,...
and the A489
A489 road
The A489 is a road in the United Kingdom running from Craven Arms, Shropshire to Machynlleth, Powys and crossing the Wales-England border.The road starts about one mile north of Craven Arms...
roads.
Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official recognition as a capital. From 1536 to 1974 it lay in the historic county of Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
(Sir Drefaldwyn). It applied for city status in 2000 and 2002 but was unsuccessful.
Machynlleth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1937 and 1981.
History
There is a long history of human activity in the Machynlleth area. In the late-1990s, radiocarbon datingRadiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
showed that copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
was taking place in the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2750 years ago), within a mile of the town centre. But there are legends of a once fertile plain, the Cantre'r Gwaelod, now lost beneath the waves of Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales....
.
The Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
settled in the area to an extent. They built a small Roman fort at Pennal
Pennal
Pennal is a village on the A493 road in southern Gwynedd, Wales, on the north bank of the Afon Dyfi/River Dovey, near Machynlleth.It lies in the former county of Merionethshire/Sir Feirionnydd, and is within the Snowdonia National Park.-Roman Fort:...
(Cefn Caer) four miles west of Machynlleth, and are reputed to have had two look-out posts above the town at Bryn-y-gog and Wylfa. But one of the earliest written references to Machynlleth is the Royal charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
granted in 1291 by Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
to Owen de la Pole
Owen de la Pole
Owen de la Pole , also known as Owain ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn, was the heir presumptive to the Welsh principality of Powys Wenwynwyn until 1283 when it was abolished by the Parliament of Shrewsbury. He became the 1st Lord of Powis after the death of his father Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn c...
, Lord of Powys. This gave him the right to hold "a market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
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 on.
Royal House, which stands on the corner of the Garsiwn, is another of the mediæval houses that can still be seen today. According to local tradition, Dafydd Gam
Dafydd Gam
Dafydd ap Llewelyn ap Hywel , better known as Dafydd Gam or Davy Gam, was a Welsh medieval nobleman, a prominent opponent of Owain Glyndŵr, who died at the Battle of Agincourt fighting for King Henry V, King of England in that victory against the French...
, a Welsh ally of the English Kings, was imprisoned here from 1404 to 1412 for attempting to assassinate Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
. After his release by Glyndwr, ransomed Gam fought alongside Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
at the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
and is named amongst the dead in Shakespeare's Henry V
Henry V (play)
Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
. The name Royal House undoubtedly refers to the tradition that Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
stayed at the house in 1643.
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 shows that animals for sale came from all over Merionethshire
Merionethshire
Merionethshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974...
, Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
, Cardiganshire
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
and Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, and prospective buyers came from Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, Radnorshire
Radnorshire
Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805...
, Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, in addition to the above.
The Dyfi Bridge was first mentioned in 1533, by Geoffrey Hughes, "Citizen and Merchant taylour of London" who left £6 13/4
£sd
£sd was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies used in the Kingdom of England, later the United Kingdom, and ultimately in much of the British Empire...
"towards making of a bridge at the toune of Mathanlleth". By 1601 "Dyfi bridge in the Hundred of 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 eighteenth century".
On 29 November 1644, a Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
battle took place near Dyfi Bridge between Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
, commanded by Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Thomas Myddelton
Thomas Myddelton (younger)
Sir Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle was a Welsh politician and Parliamentary general.-Early life:He was the son of Sir Thomas Myddelton. He matriculated from Queen's College, Oxford, on 22 February 1605, and became a student of Gray's Inn in 1607. he was knighted on 10 February 1617, and was M.P...
of Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle is a castle located at Chirk, Wrexham, Wales.The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward I's chain of fortresses across the north of Wales. It guards the entrance to the Ceiriog Valley...
, and the Royalists
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
. A great many were killed and the nearby manor house Mathafarn was burnt down on the same day. Many houses in Machynlleth occupied by Royalists were also burned down.
Plas Machynlleth and the Londonderry Family
Mary Cornelia, the daughter of local landowner Sir John Edwards married Viscount Seaham, the second son of the third Marquess of LondonderryCharles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry
Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry KG, GCB, GCH, PC , styled The Honourable Charles Stewart from 1789 until 1813 and The Honourable Sir Charles Stewart from 1813 to 1814 and known as The Lord Stewart from 1814 to 1822, was a British soldier, politician and nobleman...
,in 1846 and they set up home in Plas Machynlleth
Plas Machynlleth
Plas Machynlleth was the Welsh residence of the Marquesses of Londonderry, situated in the market town of Machynlleth in Powys , Wales...
. He became Earl Vane on the death of his father and the fifth Marquess on the death of his half-brother
Frederick Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry
Frederick William Robert Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry KP, PC , styled Viscount Castlereagh between 1822 and 1854, was an Anglo-Irish nobleman and Tory politician...
.
To celebrate the 21st birthday of their eldest son, Viscount Castlereagh
Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry
Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry KG, GCVO, PC, DL, JP , styled Viscount Castlereagh between 1872 and 1884, was an Anglo-Irish Conservative politician, landowner and benefactor, who served in various capacities in the Conservative administrations of the late 19th and...
, the townspeople subscribed to the erection (at the town's main road intersection) of the Clock Tower, which has become widely known as the symbol of Machynlleth. The tower, which stands on the site of the old Town Hall, is the first thing many visitors will notice. The foundation stone was laid on 15 July 1874 amid great festivities.
Another son, Lord Herbert Vane-Tempest, was the last member of the family to live at the Plas and was killed in the Abermule train collision
Abermule train collision
The Abermule train collision was a head-on collision which occurred at Abermule, Montgomeryshire, Wales on 26 January 1921, killing 17 people. The crash arose from misunderstandings between staff which effectively over-rode the safe operation of the Electric Train Tablet system protecting the...
on the Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
, 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. Various local government re-organisations saw it pass first to Montgomeryshire District Council, who in 1995 converted it into the Celtica 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 European Union. The centre had a high-profile in the Welsh media, with opera singer Bryn Terfel officially opening the attraction in October 1995. Powys County Council took over Celtica and the house when a new unitary authority was formed in 1997. The centre was successful in attracting tourist, school groups and conferences for a number of years, however initial visitor number predictions proved to be too ambitious and Powys Council were unwilling to prolong its subsidy and 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. At this point, Machynlleth's Town Council, realising that the Town was in danger of losing the Plas house and grounds, which they saw as belonging to the community in the spirit of the 1948 bequest, began discussions with Powys County Council with a view to the Town Council taking ownership of the Plas. 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 re-opened 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 links
From 1859 to 1948 the town was served by the narrow gauge Corris RailwayCorris Railway
The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire in Mid-Wales....
, which brought slate from the quarries around Corris
Corris
Corris is a village in the south of Snowdonia in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. Although the Snowdonia National Park covers much of the area around Corris, the village is not within the park. The name is possibly derived from the English word "quarries", and the extensive slate quarries that surround...
and Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni
Aberllefenni is a village in the south of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas.Part of the ancient county of Merionethshire, it is the location of Foel Grochan, a slate quarry which together with Hen Chwarel and Ceunant Ddu formed the Aberllefenni Slate Quarry, which extracted...
for onward despatch to the markets. The railway's Machynlleth station building, built in 1905, can still be seen alongside the road approaching the town from the north.
Machynlleth main-line station
Machynlleth railway station
Machynlleth railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales, serving the historic town of Machynlleth. It was built by the Newtown & Machynlleth Railway, and subsequently passed into the ownership of the Cambrian Railways, the Great Western Railway, British Railways and...
was built by the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway, and continues to provide a link to Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
and the Cambria
Cambria
Cambria is the classical name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name Cymru . The etymology of Cymry "the Welsh", Cimbri, and Cwmry "Cumbria", improbably connected to the Biblical Gomer and the "Cimmerians" by 17th-century celticists, is now known to come from Old Welsh combrog...
n coast to the west and Newtown and Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
to the east. Currently services are run by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
.
Machynlleth is home to the signalling centre that will control the new European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)
European Rail Traffic Management System
The European Rail Traffic Management System is an initiative backed by the European Union to enhance cross-border interoperability and signalling procurement by creating a single Europe-wide standard for train control and command systems....
on the Cambrian Line
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
. The system went into operational use in March 2011.
Welsh language
Machynlleth retains its strong Welsh character with WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
spoken alongside English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The 2001 Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
indicated that 70% of the 2000-strong population have some knowledge of Welsh with 42% able to read, write and speak the language.
Owain Glyndŵr
Machynlleth has a special role in Welsh history because of its connection with Owain GlyndŵrOwain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
, a Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
who rebelled against the English during the reign of King Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
. Owain was crowned Prince of Wales in 1404 near the Parliament House, which is one of three mediæval houses in town, in the presence of leaders from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and he held his own Parliament in the town. He held his last parliament in the nearby village of Pennal
Pennal
Pennal is a village on the A493 road in southern Gwynedd, Wales, on the north bank of the Afon Dyfi/River Dovey, near Machynlleth.It lies in the former county of Merionethshire/Sir Feirionnydd, and is within the Snowdonia National Park.-Roman Fort:...
, by the Church of St Peter ad Vincula
St Peter ad Vincula, Pennal
The parish church of St Peter ad Vincula in the village of Pennal in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, is notable as the site of the last senate meeting held by the renegade Welsh prince, Owain Glyndŵr...
. It is thought that after the rebellion floundered, Owain went into hiding in the area around Machynlleth.
Tourism
TourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is the primary employment sector with a wide range of activity based attractions (for example several mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
trails) as well as the visitor centre at the Centre for Alternative Technology
Centre for Alternative Technology
The Centre for Alternative Technology is an eco-centre in Powys, mid-Wales, dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development. CAT, despite its name, no longer concentrates its efforts exclusively on alternative technology, but provides information on all aspects of sustainable living...
. Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
continues to play a significant part in the make-up of the town and surrounding area. Another important local industry and employer is the renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
sector. Driven by the Centre for Alternative Technology (a research centre dedicated to the development of sustainable technologies), the area also hosts a wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
at Cemmaes
Cemmaes
Cemmaes is a village in northern Powys, north-west Wales.The population numbered 935 in 1841, this dropped sharply between 1881 and 1891 from 946 to 729....
. The area now has a rapidly-expanding renewable energy industry with several small to medium sized companies now operating in or around the town.
The town has a large market on Wednesdays which includes traditional Welsh together with Spanish and French food stalls. The Wales Museum of Modern Art
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
, MOMA, Wales
MOMA, Wales
MOMA or Museum of Modern Art adjacent to Y Tabernacl is located in Machynlleth, Powys, Mid Wales.The Tabernacle was converted in the mid-1980s from a Wesleyan chapel into a centre for the performing arts. Since then the Museum of Modern Art has grown up alongside it, with six exhibition spaces.The...
, presents talks and performances on market days.
The town hosted the 2011 Machynlleth Comedy Festival, which ran from 29 April to 1 May, and featured comedians Jon Richardson
Jon Richardson (entertainer)
Jon Joel Richardson is a British comedian.Jon co-hosted a Sunday morning radio show on BBC 6 Music with fellow comedian and friend Russell Howard, and continued to present the show himself after Howard left, until 7 March 2010...
and Pappy's.
Notable people
- Owain GlyndŵrOwain GlyndwrOwain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
, (c. 1349 or 1359 – c. 1416), Welsh ruler and Prince of Wales, crowned in Machynlleth on 1404. - Hywel SwrdwalHywel SwrdwalHywel Swrdwal was a Welsh language poet from Machynlleth, Powys.Hywel composed poems on themes of patriotism and religion.Hywel was the father of two sons, Ieuan ap Hywel Swrdwal and Dafydd ap Hywel Swrdwal....
, (fl. 1430-1475), Welsh language poet from Machynlleth. - David GriffithsDavid Griffiths (missionary)David Griffiths , was a British Christian missionary and translator in Madagascar. He translated the Bible and other books into the Malagasy language...
, (20 December 1792 - 21 March 1863), Welsh missionary and Bible translator to Madagascar, lived from 1858 until his death in Machynlleth. - Henry RogersHenry Rogers (congregationalist)Henry Rogers was an English nonconformist minister and man of letters, known as a Christian apologist.-Life:He was third son of Thomas Rogers, a surgeon of St Albans, where he was born on 18 October 1806. He was educated at private schools and by his father, of congregationalist views...
, (1806–1877), nonconformist minister and man of letters, died in Machynlleth. - Thomas Provis WickhamThomas WickhamThomas Provis Wickham was an English cricketer.Wickham made his first-class debut and his only appearance for pre-county club Hampshire against an All-England Eleven in 1850...
(born 1810 at Weymouth, Dorset; died on 1 March 1890 at Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire), English cricketer. - John EvansJohn Evans (British Columbia politician)John Evans was a miner and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Cariboo in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1875 to 1879....
(January 25, 1816 – August 25, 1879), miner and political figure, born and educated in Machynlleth. - George Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of LondonderryGeorge Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of LondonderryGeorge Henry Robert Charles William Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry KP , styled Viscount Seaham between 1823 and 1854 and known as The Earl Vane between 1854 and 1872, was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, businessman, diplomat and Conservative politician.-Background and education:Born George...
, (26 April 1821 – 6 November 1884), aristocrat, businessman, diplomat and Conservative politician, lived in Machynlleth. - Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of LondonderryCharles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of LondonderryCharles Stewart Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry KG, GCVO, PC, DL, JP , styled Viscount Castlereagh between 1872 and 1884, was an Anglo-Irish Conservative politician, landowner and benefactor, who served in various capacities in the Conservative administrations of the late 19th and...
, (16 July 1852 – 8 February 1915), Conservative politician, landowner and benefactor, born and lived in Machynlleth. - James Richard Atkin, Baron AtkinJames Atkin, Baron AtkinJames Richard Atkin, Baron Atkin was a lawyer and judge of Australian-Welsh origin, who practised in England and Wales...
(28 November 1867 – 25 June 1944), lawyer and judge, Justice of the Peace in Machynlleth. - Lord Herbert Vane-Tempest, Cambrian RailwaysCambrian RailwaysCambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
chairman, of Machynlleth. - Edward Morgan Lewis, (December 25, 1872, in Machynlleth, Wales – May 23, 1936 in Durham, New Hampshire), baseball player in U.S.
- Thomas Williams PhillipsThomas Williams PhillipsSir Thomas Williams Phillips GBE KCB was a senior official in the British Civil Service.Phillips, a Welshman, was educated at Machynlleth County School and Jesus College, Oxford, where he obtained a first-class Bachelor of Arts degree in Literae Humaniores. He joined the Civil Service in 1906,...
, (20 April 1883 – 21 September 1966), senior official in the British Civil Service, educated at Machynlleth County School. - William David DaviesWilliam David DaviesWilliam David Davies, often known as W. D. P. Davies was a Welsh Presbyterian minister and writer on theological topics...
, (18 January 1897 – 7 July 1969), Welsh Presbyterian minister and writer on theological topics, living in Machynlleth. - Emrys JamesEmrys JamesEmrys James , was a Welsh Shakespearean actor. He also performed in many theatre and TV parts between 1960 and 1989, and was an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, (1 September 1928 - 5 February 1989), Welsh Shakespearean actor, born in Machynlleth. - Geraint Lloyd OwenGeraint Lloyd OwenGeraint Lloyd Owen is a Welsh-language poet, who won the Crown in The National Eisteddfod of Wales 2011. He is a retired head-teacher and brother to the Prifardd Gerallt Lloyd Owen....
, Welsh-language poet and teacher, taught at Machynlleth. - Gareth GlynGareth GlynGareth Glyn, born Gareth Glynne Davies , is a Welsh composer and radio broadcaster.-Life and education:Born in Machynlleth, Wales, Glyn is the eldest son of the late Welsh poet T. Glynne Davies...
, (born 1951), Welsh composer and radio broadcaster, born in Machynlleth. - David Russell HulmeDavid Russell HulmeDavid Russell Hulme is a Welsh conductor and musicologist known for his research and publications on the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan, the Victorian era composer who, with Sir W. S...
, (born 19 June 1951), Welsh conductor and musicologist, native of Machynlleth. - Gwynn ap GwilymGwynn ap GwilymGwynn ap Gwilym is a Welsh language poet, novelist, editor and translator.He was born in Bangor but raised in Machynlleth, in Gwynedd, north-west Wales....
, (born 1955), Welsh language poet, novelist, editor and translator, raised in Machynlleth. - George Joshua Richard MonbiotGeorge MonbiotGeorge Joshua Richard Monbiot is an English writer, known for his environmental and political activism. He lives in Machynlleth, Wales, writes a weekly column for The Guardian, and is the author of a number of books, including Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain and Bring on the...
, (born 27 January 1963), English writer, lives in Machynlleth, Wales.
External links
- Aerial photograph of Machynlleth
- Notable people with connections to Machynlleth
- The Tabernacle Museum of Modern Art
- The Centre for Alternative Technology
- Machynlleth Clock Appeal
- 2001 Census Neighbourhood Statistics: Machynlleth
- Photos of Machynlleth and surrounding area on Geograph
- Machynlleth ROC Post
- Machynellth Comedy Festival