Llanfyllin and district
Lake Vyrnwy
  The Victorians make their mark  
 

There are more pictures of the construction work carried out by the Victorian engineers at the Vyrnwy valley in the 1880s on this page.
The photograph below is a view of Lake Vyrnwy from below the dam, taken in 1948. You can see the two low towers on the dam which hold the valve equipment to control the flow of compensation water into the river below the dam.
The Vrynwy tower, or Straining tower, can be seen near the right-hand shore of the lake, with the linking bridge just visible. This view also shows why the valley was chosen by the engineers, for the steep valley sides were ideal to hold water.

  
Lake Vyrnwy
in 1948
 Lake Vyrnwy New Llanwddyn church
  The work to be done in the valley also involved building a new village for the people who lost their old community under the waters of the new lake. The new Llanwddyn church of Saint Wddyn is shown above right.  
  The engraving on the right shows the carriageway on the top of the dam just after the structure was completed in 1889. It also clearly shows the valve towers seen in the photograph above, and the fine stonework of the skilled Victorian masons.
As well as the road on the top of the dam, a road 12 miles long was also built around the lake.		 Road across the dam
 

The Victorians were very skilled at building roads, canals, railways, and all kinds of buildings. The amazing dams and aqueducts in Powys at Lake Vyrnwy and in the Elan Valley are a lasting tribute to their wonderful engineering.

Back to Lake Vyrnwy menu

 
Link to sources
Back to top
Go to Llanfyllin menu
RDR