Cwmbelan School 1
From small beginnings

 

 The hamlet of Cwmbelan
About three miles to the south of Llanidloes on the main road lies the hamlet of Cwmbelan. Although modest in size Cwmbelan has always had its own identity, and for 90 years its own school.
From the
Ordnance Survey
6 inch map
c1904		 6" map of Cwmbelan
  This map shows Cwmbelan hamlet at the turn of the century, with two chapels, a smithy, a school and a flannel mill, a typical Montgomeryshire valley community. Yet when the school opened its doors on July 6th 1874, the Headteacher knew that as in so many other rural schools, establishing regular attendance and educational progress would be a struggle.

Cwmbelan School
in 1999

 The School opens
The new Headmaster, Mr Edward Peters, proudly inscribed the opening page of the School Log Book revealing along the way that, like a great many other welsh teachers at this time he was certificated from Bangor Normal College. His dates there (1872-73), show he was a reletively inexperienced schoolmaster when he came to Cwmbelan.
Mr Peters' first entry reveals the lack of educational attainment among the children, few of whom would have had any full-time education before.

 Powys
County Archives
M/E/PS/16/L1

 Log book extract 
  The entry reads:-
"Edward E Peters of the Bangor N[ormal] College opened the school. Had 20 pupils in the morning and 27 in the afternoon. Examined them for classification, and found their attainments very low, only a few were fit for Standard 1."
  There are 9 pages on Cwmbelan School. Use the box links below to view the other pages.