Llanymynech
Encyclopedia
Llanymynech is a village straddling the border between Montgomeryshire
/Powys
, Wales
and Shropshire
, England
about 9 miles (14 km) north of the Welsh town of Welshpool
. The name is Welsh
for "Church of the Monks".
The border runs for the most part down the centre of the village's main street, with the eastern half of the village in England and the western half in Wales. The border also passed right through the now closed Lion pub
, which had two bars in Shropshire and one in Montgomeryshire. At one time Welsh counties were referred to as "wet" or "dry" depending on whether you could drink in pubs on Sundays. When Montgomeryshire was dry it was legal to drink on Sundays in the two English bars of the Lion but not the Welsh bar. Two of the remaining open pubs in the village are entirely in England and the third is entirely in Wales.
Just to the north of the village is Pant
(the civil parish of Llanymynech and Pant
covers the English part of Llanymynech and the whole of Pant). Further north is the English market town of Oswestry
.
. Two hill fort
s are associated with the workings. The mines were exploited by the Romans: over the years, a great many Roman artifacts have been found in the mine including a hoard of thirty first and second century silver coins found in 1965 by some schoolboys, now conserved at the National Museum of Wales. The short lives of miners are commemorated in burials in and around the mine. The hill is now the site of Llanymynech Golf Club
perched atop the cliffs, whose 18-hole course is unique in the UK for being in 2 different countries - England and Wales.
The village is home to one of only three remaining Hoffmann kiln
s in the British Isles, and the only one with a chimney. The kiln at Llanymynech was used for lime
burning. The area around the kiln is designated as Llanymynech Heritage Area
The former limestone quarry which fed the kiln is now the Shropshire Wildlife Trust
's Llanymynech Rocks Nature Reserve and its cliff-face is popular with rock climbers
.
The Offa's Dyke Path
passes through the village.
. However, the section from Whitchurch
to Welshpool
(Buttington Junction), via Ellesmere
, Whittington
, Oswestry
and Llanymynech, closed on 18 January 1965 in favour of the more viable alternative route via Shrewsbury. Llanymynech was also junction for a Cambrian branch line to Llanfyllin
, also closed on 18 January 1965, and the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway line which ran to Shrewsbury Abbey station; this closed to passengers on 6 November 1933 but remained open as a military freight route until 1960.
A branch of the Ellesmere Canal
passed through Llanymynech, where it joined the Eastern section of the Montgomeryshire Canal
at Carreghofa. Today the canal is known as the Montgomery Canal, and the section through Llanymynech is isolated, with a 800m section being navigable to boats. To the north to Pant the canal is dry. To the south the canal is isolated by lowered bridges. A campaign is in hand, to restore the canal to through traffic.
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
/Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
about 9 miles (14 km) north of the Welsh town of Welshpool
Welshpool
Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
. The name is Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
for "Church of the Monks".
The border runs for the most part down the centre of the village's main street, with the eastern half of the village in England and the western half in Wales. The border also passed right through the now closed Lion pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, which had two bars in Shropshire and one in Montgomeryshire. At one time Welsh counties were referred to as "wet" or "dry" depending on whether you could drink in pubs on Sundays. When Montgomeryshire was dry it was legal to drink on Sundays in the two English bars of the Lion but not the Welsh bar. Two of the remaining open pubs in the village are entirely in England and the third is entirely in Wales.
Just to the north of the village is Pant
Pant, Shropshire
Pant is a village in Shropshire, England. It lies near the border with Wales. Pant means 'hollow' in Welsh: it is directly below the disused mines at Llanymynech Rocks Nature Reserve....
(the civil parish of Llanymynech and Pant
Llanymynech and Pant
Llanymynech and Pant is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. The population of the parish is approximately 2,100.The two main villages within the parish are Llanymynech and Pant, though only the English half of Llanymynech is in the parish as the other half is in Powys, Wales.The parish is home...
covers the English part of Llanymynech and the whole of Pant). Further north is the English market town of Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
.
Features
Llanymynech Ogof (Llanymynech Cave) is a former copper mine with origins perhaps in the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. Two hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
s are associated with the workings. The mines were exploited by the Romans: over the years, a great many Roman artifacts have been found in the mine including a hoard of thirty first and second century silver coins found in 1965 by some schoolboys, now conserved at the National Museum of Wales. The short lives of miners are commemorated in burials in and around the mine. The hill is now the site of Llanymynech Golf Club
Llanymynech Golf Club
Llanymynech Golf Course is situated atop Llanymynech Hill overlooking the villages of Llanymynech and Pant, approximately from Welshpool, right on the Welsh/English border. From the course it is possible to view 12 of the old 'shire counties', including Shropshire, Cheshire, Flintshire and...
perched atop the cliffs, whose 18-hole course is unique in the UK for being in 2 different countries - England and Wales.
The village is home to one of only three remaining Hoffmann kiln
Hoffmann kiln
The Hoffmann kiln is a series of batch process kilns. Hoffmann kilns are the most common kiln used in production of bricks and some other ceramic products...
s in the British Isles, and the only one with a chimney. The kiln at Llanymynech was used for lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
burning. The area around the kiln is designated as Llanymynech Heritage Area
The former limestone quarry which fed the kiln is now the Shropshire Wildlife Trust
Shropshire Wildlife Trust
The Shropshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the geographic county of Shropshire, England.-Nature reserves:The trust cares for, or is associated with, 42 nature reserves in the county:...
's Llanymynech Rocks Nature Reserve and its cliff-face is popular with rock climbers
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
.
The Offa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path is a long distance footpath along the Welsh-English border. Opened in 1971, it is one of Britain's premier National Trails and draws walkers from throughout the world...
passes through the village.
Transport
Llanymynech no longer has a railway, but it was once on the main line of the Cambrian RailwaysCambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
. However, the section from Whitchurch
Whitchurch, Shropshire
Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
to Welshpool
Welshpool
Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
(Buttington Junction), via Ellesmere
Ellesmere, Shropshire
Ellesmere is a small market town near Oswestry in north Shropshire, England, notable for its proximity to a number of prominent lakes, the Meres.-History:...
, Whittington
Whittington, Shropshire
Whittington is a village in north west Shropshire, England.The civil parish of Whittington has a population of 2,490 as of the 2001 census. The village of Whittington is in the centre of the parish, and two smaller villages, Hindford to the north-east and Babbinswood to the south, are also within...
, Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
and Llanymynech, closed on 18 January 1965 in favour of the more viable alternative route via Shrewsbury. Llanymynech was also junction for a Cambrian branch line to Llanfyllin
Llanfyllin
Llanfyllin is a small town in Powys, Mid Wales, United Kingdom.- Location, history and amenities :Llanfyllin's population at the date of the 2001 Census was 1,407. The town lies on the River Cain by the Berwyn Mountains in Montgomeryshire. It is known for its holy well, dedicated to Saint Myllin....
, also closed on 18 January 1965, and the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway line which ran to Shrewsbury Abbey station; this closed to passengers on 6 November 1933 but remained open as a military freight route until 1960.
A branch of the Ellesmere Canal
Ellesmere Canal
The Ellesmere Canal was a canal in England and Wales, originally planned to link the Rivers Mersey, Dee, and Severn, by running from Netherpool to Shrewsbury. The canal that was eventually constructed was very different from what was originally envisioned...
passed through Llanymynech, where it joined the Eastern section of the Montgomeryshire Canal
Montgomery Canal
The Montgomery Canal , known colloquially as "The Monty", is a partially restored canal in Powys, in eastern Wales, and in northwest Shropshire, in western England...
at Carreghofa. Today the canal is known as the Montgomery Canal, and the section through Llanymynech is isolated, with a 800m section being navigable to boats. To the north to Pant the canal is dry. To the south the canal is isolated by lowered bridges. A campaign is in hand, to restore the canal to through traffic.
Notable people
- Ivor Spencer-ThomasIvor Spencer-ThomasIvor Spencer-Thomas was an inveterate inventor and improviser, in the forefront of developing agriculture and market gardening as a commercial enterprise...
, Inventor who pioneered new farming practices during 1930s depression. - Richard RobertsRichard Roberts (engineer)Richard Roberts was a British engineer whose development of high-precision machine tools contributed to the birth of production engineering and mass production.-Early life:...
, Inventor famous for the automation of the spinning jenny.