History and Character

A town named for a saint

Llanidloes takes its name from Llan Idloes, “the church of Idloes”, a Celtic saint of the early seventh century. A Celtic monastery stood on the site of today’s parish church, and the town grew up around it where the River Clywedog meets the River Severn (the Afon Hafren), not far below the Severn’s source on the slopes of Pumlumon (Plynlimon).

A market town

In 1280 King Edward I granted the town a market charter, and in 1344 it was made a borough. The Old Market Hall, raised on timber posts in the centre of the town in the early 1600s, still stands, and is thought to be the last timber-framed market hall of its kind in Wales. John Wesley is recorded as preaching beneath it in 1748.

Flannel, weaving and the Chartists

For centuries weaving was a cottage industry here, and by the late 1700s Llanidloes was Montgomeryshire’s largest flannel producer. The Bridgend Factory, a flannel mill of 1834, is one reminder of those years. Hard times followed as the trade moved to larger mills elsewhere, and in the spring of 1839 discontent boiled over into the Chartist uprising. Protesters held the town for several days until troops arrived on 14 May 1839. A plaque outside the Trewythen Hotel commemorates the events.

Lead, rail and water

The hills around the town were mined for lead, with the nearby Van mines most productive from the 1860s until the last mines closed in 1921. A railway reached Llanidloes in 1864 and carried passengers until the end of 1962; the line of the old railway now carries the town’s bypass. In the 1960s the Clywedog dam was built just upstream to control the flow of the Severn and reduce flooding downstream, creating Llyn Clywedog, a long reservoir which is now a haven for walkers, anglers and sailors.

The town today

Llanidloes is home to around 3,000 people. Great Oak Street, Long Bridge Street and the streets around the Old Market Hall are lined with independent shops, cafes and inns, and the Town Hall of 1908 houses the town’s museum. The Town Council looks after local facilities and represents the community, and works with local groups and with llanidloes.com to keep the town lively and welcoming.

Do you have photographs, memories or corrections to share? Please get in touch with the Town Council. Facts on this page are drawn from published sources and the Council is grateful for any corrections.