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| Machynlleth | |
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  Machynlleth
 Machynlleth shown within Wales |
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| Population | 2,147 [1] |
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| OS grid reference | |
| Principal area | Powys |
| Ceremonial county | Powys |
| Constituent country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MACHYNLLETH |
| Postcode district | SY20 |
| Dialling code | 01654 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| European Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Montgomeryshire |
| List of places: UK • Wales • | |
Machynlleth (pronounced 
[maˈxənɬɛθ] (help·info); sometimes referred to colloquially as Mach) is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.
It was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404,[2] 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 the 2000 and 2002 competitions.
Machynlleth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1937 and 1981.
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History
There is a long history of human activity in the Machynlleth area. In the late-1990s, radiocarbon dating 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[3] 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.
From 1859 to 1948 the town was served by the narrow gauge Corris Railway, 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 Cambrian coast to the west and Newtown and Shrewsbury to the east.
The daughter of local landowner Sir John Edwards married Viscount Seaham, the second son of the third Marquess of Londonderry, 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 and then to Powys County Council, who in 1996 converted it into the Celtica visitor centre. 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 CC with a view to the Town Council taking ownership of the Plas.[citation needed] 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.
Welsh Language
Machynlleth retains its strong Welsh character with Welsh 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. [4]
People of Machynlleth
Owain Glyndŵr
Machynlleth has a special role in Welsh history because of its connection with Owain Glyndŵr, 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. It is thought that after the rebellion floundered, Owain went into hiding in the area around Machynlleth.
Tourism
Even with the current closure of Celtica, the primary employment sector remains tourism with a wide range of activity based attractions (for example several mountain biking trails) as well as visitor centres (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 local Centre for Alternative Technology, the area pays host to a large windfarm and research centre dedicated to the development of renewable energy resources. 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 stalls plus Spanish and French food stalls. The Wales Museum of Modern Art, MOMA, Wales, presents talks and performances on market days.
References
- ^ Office for National Statistics, 2001 census
- ^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) pg527 ISBN 9780708319536
- ^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) pg527 ISBN 9780708319536
- ^ 2001 Census Neighbourhood Statistics: Machynlleth
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
| Preceding station |  Heritage railways |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Corris Railway | Ffridd Gate | ||
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