The pages of our website tell us a great deal about 18 different communities throughout Powys as they were in Victorian times.
A brief description of more of these towns today is given here...

Montgomery
Though today many residents of Montgomery work in nearby Newtown and Welshpool, the town still has a market, pubs, tea rooms and shops, and attracts visitors for the Old Bell Museum and nearby Offa’s Dyke.

Newtown
Newtown is today the largest town in mid-Wales, with two theatres and a cinema, a large shopping area, and manufacturing businesses that include electronics and processed foods. The town has several primary schools, a secondary school, and a college of further education.

Presteigne
Presteigne today has a primary and secondary school, a library, and a leisure centre. There is an annual festival of music and the arts, and the Judge's Lodging museum (pictured right) attracts many visitors to the town.

Rhayader
Rhayader, with the Elan Valley dams nearby, has many inns and cafes for tourists. There is a primary school and a leisure centre.

Talgarth
Talgarth has an active community which supports over twenty clubs and societies. The town’s location makes it a centre for visitors who come for the sailing on Llangorse Lake, pony trekking on the Brecon Beacons, the caving in the Black Mountains, and walking in the Pwll-yr-Wrach nature reserve.

Welshpool
Welshpool today has many shops, restaurants and small businesses. Visitor attractions include the Powysland Museum and Canal Centre, and nearby Powis Castle.

Ystradgynlais
Ystradgynlais has three business parks, several primary schools, and a secondary school. With Swansea being only a twenty minute drive away, many residents commute from Ystradgynlais to work or to study there.

Our county of Powys covers over 2000 square miles of mid-Wales and many of its towns and villages are surrounded by the beautiful countryside which attracts growing numbers of visitors.

Back to topics menu