| Llanwddyn | |
|---|---|
  Llanwddyn Location within Powys | |
| Area | 95.92 km2 (37.03 sq mi) |
| Population | 257 (2011) |
| • Density | 3/km2 (7.8/sq mi) |
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Llanfyllin |
| Postcode district | SY22 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Llanwddyn (ⓘ) is a village and community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. The community is centred on the Lake Vyrnwy reservoir. The original Llanwddyn village, about 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest, was submerged when the reservoir was created in the 1880s.
Geography
editLlanwddyn borders the county of Gwynedd to the northeast, with the Powys communities of Llangynog and Pen-y-Bont-Fawr to the northwest, Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa to the south east and Banwy to the southwest.[2] The community is sparsely populated, but includes the village of Abertridwr as well as the new village of Llanwddyn.
According to the 2011 census the community had 99 occupied households and a population of 257, with only 84 of the residents born in Wales.[3] This is a 17% decrease since the 310 people noted in 2001.[4] In 2011, only 38% of the population could speak Welsh, a decline from 60% in 2001.[5]
Lake Vyrnwy
editThe main feature of the community is the 4.54 square kilometres (1.75 sq mi) reservoir, which drowned the original village when it was created in the 1880s.
Climate
edit| Climate data for Lake Vyrnwy No 2 (360m elevation) 1981–2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) |
5.5 (41.9) |
7.6 (45.7) |
10.2 (50.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17.5 (63.5) |
15.1 (59.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
8.2 (46.8) |
5.9 (42.6) |
11.2 (52.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) |
0.6 (33.1) |
2.1 (35.8) |
3.3 (37.9) |
6.1 (43.0) |
8.7 (47.7) |
10.8 (51.4) |
10.7 (51.3) |
9.0 (48.2) |
6.4 (43.5) |
3.6 (38.5) |
1.4 (34.5) |
5.3 (41.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 193.1 (7.60) |
143.3 (5.64) |
138.6 (5.46) |
96.4 (3.80) |
92.5 (3.64) |
90.6 (3.57) |
96.2 (3.79) |
94.2 (3.71) |
115.8 (4.56) |
199.9 (7.87) |
176.2 (6.94) |
198.6 (7.82) |
1,635.4 (64.39) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 18.0 | 14.0 | 16.6 | 13.0 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 12.7 | 13.8 | 13.2 | 18.4 | 17.4 | 18.8 | 181.5 |
| Source: metoffice.gov.uk[6] | |||||||||||||
History
edit
By the mid-19th century the village of Llanwddyn consisted of thirty seven houses, a church and two chapels, three pubs and several shops.[7] The population of the parish had dropped from 668 in 1831 to 443 in 1871.[8] In 1873 the local vicar, Reverend Thomas H. Evans, published a mass of information about Llanwddyn in Volume VI of the Montgomeryshire Collections. He described the abundance of water with, for example, one third of the valley being regularly under water during the winter.[8]
In 1877 the expanding English city of Liverpool identified the Vyrnwy Valley as a suitable site for a reservoir to supply fresh water to its citizens. A parliamentary bill was drawn up to authorise the construction of a dam and reservoir. The population of Llanwddyn were not consulted, though they presented a signed petition against the proposals.[7]
The Liverpool Corporation Waterworks Act 1880 was passed and construction of a dam across the valley began in 1881. It took seven years to complete. The old village was demolished, the valley flooded, and the water reached the lip of the dam on 22 November 1889.[8]
A new village was constructed below the dam to house the original residents. It included a church, dedicated to St Wddyn, which was consecrated on 27 November 1888, the day before the valve of the dam was finally closed. A hydroelectric power plant was built for the village in 1902. The reservoir brought jobs and relative prosperity to the community, with the population remaining relatively stable for the next 70 years.[8]
In 1974, ownership of the estate passed from the Liverpool Corporation to the Severn Trent Water Authority.[8]
Governance
editLlanwddyn has a community council which has up to seven locally elected councillors.[9]
The village also gave its name to the Llanwddyn electoral ward which elected a councillor to Powys County Council. Following a boundary review, Llanwddyn was merged to become part of the larger ward of Banwy, Llanfihangel and Llanwddyn, effective from the 2022 local elections.[10]
Cultural references
editThe flooding of Llanwddyn is referenced in W.G. Sebald's 2001 novel Austerlitz; the titular character is disturbed and affected by his imagining of the drowned village after being shown the Vyrnwy reservoir by his adoptive father, who was born there.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Location of Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr". parliament.uk. July 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
- ^ Election Maps, Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Llanwddyn Parish (1170221605)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ "Area: Llanwddyn (Parish)". Office for National Statistics. 18 November 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ "2011 Census results by Community". Welsh Language Commissioner. 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Climate Normals 1981–2010". Met Office. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Abandoned Communities... Reservoirs of Wales". AbandonedCommunities.co.uk. p. 32. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "History of Lake Vyrnwy: The Valley in the Days Before the Lake". Lake Vyrnwy Tourism. 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Llanwddyn Community Council". Llanwddyn Community Council. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Powys Council faces shake-up with number of members cut". Powys County Times. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
- ^ Sebald, W.G. (2001). Austerlitz. Modern Library. ISBN 978-0-679-64541-2.
External links
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