This engraving of Builth was made in 1830, just seven years before the start of the Victorian age.
You can see that it was quite a small riverside community in the years before the improvements in roads and railways that were brought by the Victorians.

The picture shows the small market town of 1830 as seen from the high ground to the south west of Builth in the region of Maesmynis. Beyond the town the River Wye winds its way down the valley to the south east to Hay and beyond.
The earlier parish church of St Mary's is at the centre of the scene, and Llanelwedd lies on the left bank of the River Wye. The stone quarry which provided much of the building material for the growth of the town was cut into the slopes on the left in this view.

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