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Rochester
31-05-2009, 01:17 AM
The Llanfyllin Union Workhouse was built in 1838 – 39 to the design of Thomas Penson, the central figure in a noted family of architects. The building is situated in open fields half a mile to the south east of Llanfyllin and presents an imposing dressed stone elevation towards the town. Behind this front is a large, severe-looking complex in the shape of a cross with an octagon at the centre, topped by a cupola.

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The Llanfyllin Union covered North Montgomeryshire from the Tanat to the Banwy, and the Workhouse was built to house 250 paupers. Both its location and its plan are typical of the distinctive building type established by the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. The new system aimed to deter the poor from applying for assistance; this was achieved by a regime of discipline and segregation and minimal levels of sustenance and comfort.

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Life in the Workhouse was hard, and conditions were slow to change. The poor law system continued until 1930: the Workhouse became a Public Assistance Institution and later a home for the elderly known as Y Dolydd. Y Dolydd closed in 1984, and after a brief period as a centre for outdoor pursuits was left to stand empty and derelict.

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In 2001 a local businesswoman, Hilary Collins, stepped in and bought Y Dolydd. Her plan was to restore the building and use it to run a successful business along with a heritage centre and parkland beside the river, which would bring visitors and employment to the area. It became clear that grant aid would be needed to fund a complete renovation, and this required the setting up of a charitable trust. Advice was given by the Architectural Heritage Fund and the Llanfyllin Dolydd Building Preservation Trust was set up.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff74/silverstealth_bucket/album%20name/workhouse/workshopsm.jpg

In June 2004 the Architectural Heritage Fund approved a loan to the Trust to buy the Workhouse from Hillary Collins. In 2007 the trustees of the Llanfyllin Building Preservation Trust voted formally to merge with the Workhouse Festival to create a single body and after much hard work the Ecology Building Society confirmed its offer of a commercial mortgage to purchase the building on 10 December 2007.

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http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff74/silverstealth_bucket/album%20name/workhouse/festivalsm.jpg

boxfrenzy
31-05-2009, 09:22 AM
That is a good use for an old building. I love that painting of the blue sky with the ladder. It is a painting isn't it?

Rochester
31-05-2009, 12:24 PM
That is a good use for an old building. I love that painting of the blue sky with the ladder. It is a painting isn't it?

Yes mate it was done by a visiting artist.

KingElvis
31-05-2009, 12:59 PM
Nice one mate, lovely indeed to see it still in use.

If you go past Welshpool lots why not visit Criggion Station? lovely Art Deco buildings with a Cold War slant.