Newtown

Newtown

Newtown, Welsh Drenewydd, new town, Powys county, historic county of Montgomeryshire (Sir Drefaldwyn), central Wales. It is located on the River Severn, 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Welshpool, and includes the small community of Llanllwchaiarn just to the northeast.

In 1967 Newtown was designated the second new town in Wales, in an effort to create additional employment opportunities and check persisting rural depopulation. The town’s original charter dates from 1279. To the southwest of town are the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, and the parliament hall of the medieval Welsh leader Owain Glyn Dŵr was moved to Newtown in 1885. Gradual urban renewal efforts during the 1970s resulted in a considerable mixture of old and new. The 16th-century town hall was torn down and replaced with a new Georgian-style hall. Other new structures include a county library headquarters, a police centre, and residential and industrial estates. A variety of light industries have been introduced to supplement the traditional textile mills and sawmills. Pop. (2001) Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn, 10,783; (2011) Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn, 11,357.