LLANDINAM
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VIDEO LINK Jeremy's father, Jack Pryce, was the village blacksmith, and Jeremy himself was also trained in blacksmithing. You can see him at work in his father's old forge, and explaining the art of tempering if you click on the image on the right - or click here this film was commissioned by TASC and made by the Powys Video Project |
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A VERY BRIEF INTRODUCTION (more coming soon) |
| LLANDINAM A Celtic monastery was founded at Llandinam by St Llonio in th early part of the sixth century. This later became the Church of St Llonio, the Mother Church for many of the surrounding parishes. The village grew up alongside the River Severn which has for centuries played a part in the life of the area. Two miles downstream is the village of Caersws where a Roman fort held the river crossing. The Iron Age hillfort of Cefn Carnedd, which overlooks the river valley and both villages, was reputed to be the source of the last pitched battle of the Celts and the Romans where Caradog (Latin Caratacus) was defeated. The story of the battle and Caradog's reception at Rome can be found in Tacitus. In more recent times Llandinam was the birthplace of David Davies, the great nineteenth century industrialist and entrepreneur whose statue can be seen at the bridge. In 1864 David Davies built Broneirion, an imposing Italianate villa on the left bank of the river. Today it is the home of Guides Cymru, providing a training centre and offices for the Guides in Wales. David Davies'grandson was created Lord Davies in 1932, following a distinguished career as a Liberal MP, and the present Lord Davies still lives in the village. |
LOCATION The village of Llandinam lies on the A470 half way between Llanidloes and Newtown. It is in Powys, Wales, and situated alongside the River Severn The nearest railway station is at Caersws on the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth line and the Llanidloes to Shrewsbury bus services stop in the village. A few miles away is another splendid building, Gregynog, built by the sisters of the first Lord Davies, Gwendoline and Margaret. Today it is a conference centre for the University of Wales and home of the famous Gregynog press. The sisters were well known for their interest in the arts, and amassed a fine collection of Impressionist paintings, which can be seen at the National Museum in Cardiff. One of the more interesting events in the twentieth century was the evacuation of Gordounstoun school to Llandinam. The school's Scottish home was needed by the Fleet Air Arm for training purposes and Lord Davies invited them to Broneirion. Apparently this was the outcome of a meeting on a train and the first Lady Davies knew of it was when she saw a stream of boys pushing their belongings up the drive in a handcart. More valuable information and a host of fascinating photographs can be found in Jeremy Pyces's book Llandinam, a Glimpse of the Past which can be bought at local bookshops or in the village shop. |
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