Llandrindod Wells, Powys - Old Church - Salmon postcard c.1970s

Postcard
• Picture / Image:  The Old Church, Llandrindod Wells, Powys [formerly Radnorshire]
• Publisher:  J Salmon (1-14-08-03 / 4368c)
• Postally used:  no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition:  very minor corner wear

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Llandrindod Wells or simply Llandrindod (in Welsh) is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, Wales. It serves as the seat of Powys County Council and thus the administrative centre of Powys. It was developed as a spa town in the 19th century, with a boom in the late 20th century as a centre of local government. Before the 1860s the site of the town was common land in Cefnllys parish. Llandrindod Wells is the fifth largest town in Powys. It is locally nicknamed ""Llandod"" or ""Dod"".

During the mid-18th century the 'healing qualities' of the local spring waters attracted visitors to the area resulting in an economic boom with the building of a 'splendid' hotel at Llandrindod Hall. A period of relative decline during the late 18th and early 19th centuries was reversed with the construction of the Heart of Wales Line making Llandrindod accessible from the Midlands and North West of England, and South Wales. Enclosure of the common in 1862 enabled expansion of the town with the construction of new streets, hotels, shops and houses.

During the 'season' between May and mid-September visitors would take the waters at the pump rooms at the Rock Park and Pump House Hotel, entertained by orchestras. Hotels, boarding houses and shops — including the Central Wales Emporium on the corner of Temple Street and Station Crescent — provided for the visitors. In the early 1870s an ornamental lake was formed by draining marshland near the Pump House Hotel (on the current site of the Council offices), and in 1893 a 9-hole golf course was opened on the common beside the lake (later replaced by the present 18-hole course on the hills above). Horse races (and later air displays) were held on the Rock Ddole meadow beside the river. In 1893 the archdeacon with responsibility for the area had Llandrindod old church^[1] and Cefnllys church^[2] unroofed in order to persuade the congregations to attend the new church in the centre of the town. In 1895 both churches were restored. Llandrindod was the place of the election of the first Archbishop of Wales, which occurred at the Old Parish Church. Elections for every Archbishop since have continued to be held in Llandrindod, now at Holy Trinity Church in the Town Centre. In 1907, a Catholic church was founded in the town, Our Lady of Ransom and the Holy Souls Church.

The Town has maintained an important profile in the world of motoring and motor sport. Apart from two of its most symbolic recent buildings being the Tom Norton's Automobile Palace and Pritchard's Garage, it served as the base for many International motorcycle events such as the International Six Days Trial ISDT starting in 1933 with the last visit taking place in 1961, often drawing in crowds of thousands to watch. The Welsh International Two Day Trial organised by locals is still a popular event as well as many rallies which rely on the infrastructure of Llandrindod's Hotels and public spaces.

The town's boom continued until the First World War during which time soldiers on training courses were billeted in hotels and boarding houses, and refugees and wounded soldiers were accommodated in the town. The depression of the late-1920s and 1930s led to many hotels and boarding houses being turned into private homes and flats. During the Second World War the town was again used for military hospitals and billets, followed by a slump in the post-war years.^[3] The Beeching Axe resulted in the closure in the mid-1960s of the Mid-Wales line and with it Llandrindod's connection from nearby Builth Wells direct to Cardiff in the south and to North and West Wales. The town does however retain connections to Swansea and Shrewsbury via its station on the Heart of Wales Line and the A483 road which is the main route through the town centre.

During the 1970s the mid-Wales area became popular with hippies^{[citation needed]} many of whom settled permanently in the area. In Llandrindod a hippy wholefood shop was established. At the time this was viewed with curiosity and even suspicion by local residents, some of whom harboured suspicions about the unfamiliar herbs sold in the shop. The shop's practice of asking customers to return paper bags for re-use in packaging food was also unfamiliar. In time, however, the shop became established and is now an accepted part of the local community, as well as being a successful business wholesaling to other outlets around Wales.^{[citation needed]}

Prior to 1974 the county housed much of the administration of the county of Radnorshire, although the official county town was Presteigne. The reorganisation of local government in 1974 resulted in Llandrindod becoming the county town of the newly formed administrative county of Powys. This led to an influx of people employed by the new bureaucracies, on salaries determined by national pay scales. With the relatively low cost of living in the area this resulted in a boom in the town's economy as the newcomers spent their money on housing and entertainment.^{[citation needed]}

The architecture of the town includes many buildings in ornate styles dating from the boom period of the Victorian and Edwardian eras including the Metropole and the Glen Usk hotels, the Albert Hall theatre and former county hall building adjacent to it. There are also buildings in the Art Deco style including two former garages, Pritchard's and the Automobile Palace. The latter was notable for a collection of antique bicycles owned by the proprietor, Tom Norton, which were displayed suspended from ceilings in the building. The building has in recent years been renovated and is now home to several small businesses and the National Cycle Collection, featuring some of the bicycles originally displayed in the garage.^[4]

The largest of the town's hotels are the Metropole (with 120 bedrooms of 4 star standard, an indoor swimming pool and leisure centre), the Glen Usk and the Commodore. The Hotel Metropole's swimming pool used to be open-air and was open to the public when it was the only pool in the town, but a public pool is available now at the sports centre attached to the local comprehensive school. A hotel in the scenic Rock Park has not survived, and various cafes and restaurants have come and gone over the years leaving a handful of establishments currently operating.^{[citation needed]}

The large man-made lake is popular for fishing and, in recent years, model boating. The lake houses a sculpture of a water serpent and leaping carp, the scales of which are made of thousands of copper plates initialled by local people and visitors during construction of the work. Beside the lake, sits a distinctive tree-trunk sculpture known as a 'Llandoddie', one of many such sculptures distributed throughout the town.^[5]

An 18-hole golf course, established in 1905,^[6] features challenging topology and views over the lake, the town and surrounding countryside.

The town has international standard outdoor bowling greens dating from 1912 which hosts national and international events^[7][8] and a newer indoor bowling centre.^[9]

Mae Llandrindod yn dref a chymuned yng nghanolbarth Powys. Tyfodd y dref yn y 19eg ganrif pan gyrhaeddodd y rheilffordd, gan ddod â llawer o ymwelwyr i brofi'r dyfroedd arbennig o'r ffynhonnau sydd yn y dref (dyma pryd bathwyd yr enw Saesneg Llandrindod Wells, er mwyn denu rhagor o ymwelwyr ""ffasiynol"" i brofi rhin y dwr).

Erbyn hyn mae Llandrindod yn gartref i Gyngor Sir Powys, sydd yn un o brif gyflogwyr y dref. Cynhelir nifer o gynadleddau yn y dref, gan bod cynifer o westai yn y dref a Phafiliwn sy'n addas ar gyfer digwyddiadau mawr.

Mae Cwm Y Gof (Saesneg: Rock Park) yn barc pert rhwng y dref ac Afon Ieithon. Yn y parc mae man uchel uwchben yr afon o'r enw ""Llam Y Cariadon"" (Saesneg: Lovers' Leap). Yn ôl hen chwedl, oddi yno y neidiodd dau oedd yn gariadon cudd.

Mae gan Landrindod hefyd lyn adnabyddus gydag ynys fechan yn ei ganol.

Cynhelir marchnad yn y dref bob dydd Gwener gerllaw yr orsaf drên. Ar ddydd Iau cynhelir marchnad ffermwyr yn Stryd Middleton ble gwerthir cynnyrch lleol. Ceir hefyd nifer o siopau bach annibynnol a dau archfarchnad yn y dref.

Mae gorsaf drên Llandrindod yn arhosfa ar Linell Calon Cymru, sy'n rhedeg o Abertawe i'r Amwythig.

type=printed

city/ region=llandrindod wells

period=post-war (1945-present)

publisher=j salmon

postage condition=unposted

number of items=single

size=standard (140x89 mm)