| Welshpool in 1836 | ||
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The map below is an enlarged section
of an Ordnance Survey map made at
a scale of 1 inch to 1
mile in 1836. (We
have coloured in the pools, river and canal in blue to make them easier
to see). |
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| 1.
From the shape of the town you can see that Welshpool has grown up on a
cross-roads. The main road along the Severn valley runs from the bottom of the map to the top right corner. Another road crosses this running from the ford on the river Severn to the left edge of the map, where a series of smaller roads go off into the countryside. (Notice that the ford on the Severn has a ferry next to it to carry people and goods over the river when the water is too deep to wade through). |
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| 2.
Next to the canal on the north-eastern side of the town is a sign of
modern technology coming to the area. Here you can see the word 'Gasometer'. A gasometer is where coal gas is stored, so there must have been a gas works here heating coal to make the coal gas. This could then be used for street lighting, or for lighting in the houses of the richer inhabitants of the town. |
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| 3.
In the bottom left hand corner you can see Powis
Castle with its parkland, pools and gardens. The Earl of Powis
was a very important man in the area in Victorian times, as he owned property
in the town and all around the border area. . |
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| Compare with Welshpool in 1901... |
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