W H Smith and son

I have lived in and around Newtown  for the past 30 years. and on the  19/9/2011

I found out There was a small museum in  WH Smith,

the shop itself always attracted me  with its fine tiled adverts ,  oak panels and fine example of two victorian skylights in the centre of the shop sales area ,

leading up to the first floor there is a fine specimen of an oak staircase.

looking down the staircase leading to the first floor museum

“The Newtown branch of WH Smith at 24 High Street is a unique surprise among the company’s many shops.

In the 1970’s a major modernisation programme of WH Smith’s outlets was in progress. It was decided that just one shop should be conserved as a living example of how all Smiths had previously looked.

Newtown branch had not been altered very much over the years, so it was an ideal location. The shop was restored to its original condition – as it would have been when first opened in 1927.

Modern fittings and fixtures were removed to reveal the original tiles, mirrors and decorations, still in good condition. Oak shelving was restored, replacement tables to display books were created, underfloor heating installed, and the tube lighting was replaced by specially made 1920’s style of fittings.

The restoration was a great success and attracted a lot of interested visitors. Three years later the company museum was established upstairs, on the first floor, in a space that was once a W. H. Smith Lending Library.

The small museum traces the history of WH Smith, from its beginnings in London, in 1792, to the present day.

Using storyboards, models and memorabilia, we chart the fascinating progress of a family run business that has flourished for over two centuries, to become one of today’s biggest British companies and a household name.

Visit the museum and you can learn about the members of the family who started it all. Discover how Henry Walton Smith founded the business as a newswalk around the streets of London.

His early death could easily have meant the end of this humble paper round, but his young widow Anna, left with three children to raise, was determined to carry on. As a result of her sheer hard work and dedication, the business prospered. Eventually she was able to leave her two sons a small but profitable concern that was ready for expansion.

Only one of the boys proved really interested in the challenge, and he became the great pioneering newsagent, William Henry Smith. The company has borne his name ever since.

In turn his son, W H Smith II joined the firm and, between them, they expanded the news business, became booksellers and stationers, and developed lending libraries.

The museum’s displays also explore news distribution, the work of newsboys and girls, the use of different forms of transport through the years, and the history of Smith’s railway bookstalls and chain of retail shops.”

some fine tiled advertising boards

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Hippies, travellers

the people in the park over the weekend were not travellers but the handycapped artists, who go around the country showing and making crafts , talking today to some locals who bring thier kids to the park  they did not bring the kids over the weekend because,  they like me thought they were travellers,the story bellow is excactly what the  artists wanted,,  why when there is all this bad publicity on the travellers, even a story on the newtown man held by the travellers as a slave. talking to the Mayor of Newtown  in the  Robert Owen museum at 2.00  she was under the impression the police moved them on  knew nothing of a craft display in the park.

DOLERW PARK NEWTOWN  HAS SOME OF THE FINEST TREES AROUND,  THE PARK IS A PLAYGROUND FOR CHILDREN  IT ALSO HAS A MINATURE  STEAM  RAILWAY TRACK  USED ON BANK HOLIDAYS  FAIR GROUND DAYS ETC  ,THE FAIR GROUND THAT COMES EVERY YEAR PAYS THE COUNCIL FOR USE OF THE CAR PARK AREA AND THE  LAWNED AREA AROUND THE LOCAL COUNCIL OFFICE AS DOES  ALLTHE CARNIVAL STALLS DURING THE YEAR ,  BUT THESE  SO CALLED HIPPIES CAME IN ON THURSDAY NIGHT JUST AS ALL COUNCIL OFFICES ETC HAD CLOSED FOR THE BANK HOLIDAY. FRIDAY THEY HAD SET UP A TENT MORE THE SIZE OF A MARQUEE, A FENCED AREA FOR THE SHETLAND PONY  A COOKING AREA  TOOK CENTRE STAGE,,  ONE COMING TO THE PARK FOR THE FIRST TIME WOULD THINK THEY HAD BEEN HERE ALL SUMMER,   ME  BEING LOCAL AND WALK THE AREA MOST DAYS THOUGHT WE HAD ANOTHER  BANK HOLIDAY  SETTUP OF MAYBE A NATURE THEME.  ON THE SATERDAY THE SIGNS WENT UP ON THE CARAVAN    ONE IN WELSH SAYS WE DO NOT WANT YOU HERE, THE RESPONSE WAS ANOTHER POSTER SAYING WE ARE HERE TO STAY,  THE DOGS WERE ROAMING AROUND FREELY  AS WAS THE PONY ,,THE PONY WAS NOT EXCACTLY FREE IT WAS TETHERED TO A CHAIR THAT GOT MOVED AS THE PONY PULLED ON IT TO GET AT MORE GRASS,

LOOKED ALL VERY HOMELY  ONE GUY STRUMMING HIS GUITAR BY THE COOKING AREA  THE WOMAN ON SEEING THE GUY WITH THE CAMERA DECIDED TO TETHER THE PONY ON A PEG WHILE IT WAS STILL TETHERED TO THE CHAIR,  ANOTHER WOMAN DECIDED TO PLAY BALL WITH THE HEINZ VERIETY DOGS INCASE I TOOK A PHOTO OF THEM  SHITTING ON THE GRASS THERE ARE SIGNS  IN THIS AREA  THAT DOGS MUST BE KEPT ON A LEAD ONE REASON BEING THE KIDS PLAY AREA SWINGS ETC  NEXT TO WHERE THE CAMPERS HAD DECIDED TO MAKE DOLERW THEIR HOME

du du 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1017422/Three-men-arrested-Britain-connection-Sri-Lankas-Tamil-Tiger-terror-group.html

County times.

Barclays Quarterly Profit Soars To £2.4bn

Where is my hometown of Newtown Powys,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtown,_Powys#Buildings_and_monuments

Newtown longbridge over the Severn .

last time this bridge was maintained 1999, now the weeds and trees are growing in the stone workjoints

8.7.11 such a miserable day heavy showers are the order of the day today is the opening of the new store in what was the woolworths building since they closed woolworths there has been a carpet shop that did not last long, now we have a much needed clothes shop making it clothes shop no7 , 8 if one counts the new tesco outlet in Newtown.

8.7.11 Store twenty one have opened in Newtown,just what the town needs "another clothes shop"

Wm Jones and sons, the family butcher who has been in the town since 1876, always a good display of locally produced meat. now the the supermarkets are killing off these shops 15 years ago they opened safeways (NOW MORRISONS) on Welshpool Rd within 2 years we saw many food shops close in the town itself some like the cheese shop on market street opened up in the new store as did a fruit and veg shop, then the store relized it was not viable to have local business sell in the store. today we have six super markets in the town, all competing for trade, I can see in a few years there will be no more nice family shops in Newtown all will have been swallowed up by the food giants, and god knows where our produce will be brought in from.

The Buck one of the oldest public houses in the town.

The cross building and Sarah Brisco’s Town Clock,  better known as barclays bank

Barclays bank own the cross building one of the focal points of Newtown if they leave the plants to grow in the facade it will fall down, not like they cannot afford to get builders in to clean and repoint the brick and stonework on this beautiful building, and today 31st of October 2011 We have news thatBarclays Quarterly Profit Soars To £2.4bn

 

feral pigeons get to drop droppings on the stonework the acid in the droppings corode the stonework.

almost enough grass to mow.

the odd seagull that lives in Newtown uses the bank to deposit on the weather vane.

Cross building from the water reservoir behind my home on Llanidloes rd.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtown,_Powys

St Davids from the reservoir

St David’s Church, Newtown

By 1840 Newtown had become the centre of the  Mid-Wales woollen industry which brought a rapid growth in population.

The rector at that time, Rev. G. Foxton, must have felt a pressing need for a new building, necessitated by a shortage of seating and fre­quent flooding of an old badly sited church.

The site for the new church on what was to become the New Road, was given by Mr. David Pugh of Llanerchyddol, Welshpool, M.P. for Montgomery Boroughs for many years and a prominent landowner.  The foundation stone was laid by the Countess of Powys on 27th October, 1843.  The architect was Thomas Penson (1790-1859) who was County Surveyor of Montgomeryshire from

By 1840 Newtown had become the centre of the  Mid-Wales woollen industry which brought a rapid growth in population.

The rector at that time, Rev. G. Foxton, must have felt a pressing need for a new building, necessitated by a shortage of seating and fre­quent flooding of an old badly sited church.

The site for the new church on what was to become the New Road, was given by Mr. David Pugh of Llanerchyddol, Welshpool, M.P. for Montgomery Boroughs for many years and a prominent landowner.  The foundation stone was laid by the Countess of Powys on 27th October, 1843.  The architect was Thomas Penson (1790-1859) who was County Surveyor of Montgomeryshire from 1818 and of Denbighshire from 1819 in succession to his father also Thomas Penson (1760- 1824).  Penson chose the buff Ruabon bricks to build the church which were manufactured at the Trefynant works of J. C. Edwards.  The style is Victorian Gothic.

The building, which cost about £4,600, consisted of a nave and aisles, a small apse at the East end, and a Western Tower, with entrance on the North side. Gal­leries ran around the three sides, the Western one occupied by the organ.

Four years later, on 13th September, 1847, the Bishop, Dr. T. V. Short, con­secrated the new church – but somewhat unusually without a dedication.  This strange omission was to be the cause of much confusion and discussion in later years.  Many parishioners referred to the building as St. Mary’s, no doubt taking the name from the old building and as recently as 1924 the new incumbent, the Rev. J. E. Morgan was inducted to “St. Mary’s”.  However, in 1940 the matter was formally raised in a P.C.C. meeting.  Eventually after much diligent work, Mr. F. B. Lloyd a church warden, proved that at the laying of the foundation stone, the words used were : “I lay this stone as the foundation of a church to be consecrated to Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost in the name of St. David.”

As a result, the Bishop, Dr. W. T. Havard, issued a decree in 1943 stating “that the church was to be known henceforth as the Church of St. David”.

By the early 1870’s the building was being described as “most inconvenient” and structural faults had appeared and as a result a faculty was granted in 1873 for major alterations.  This entailed the removal of the galleries and the construction of a chancel with organ chamber and vestry, the removal of the reredos, which had been erected using the screen from the old church, and the replacement of the old box-pews by oak pews free to all.  A new font and pulpit were also added.

The cost of this renovation was £3,000.  The architect was Mr. David Walker of Liverpool, and the builder, E. Williams of Newtown.

The service of re-dedication took place in August 1874 conducted by the Bishop of Hereford.

Further alterations were made in 1909 when parts of the rood-screen were used to line the sanctuary, then in 1938 came the erection of the Lady Chapel, again parts of the old screen were used, and the re-decoration of the interior.  The architect for this latter operation was H. L. North of Llanfairfechan.

Further major repairs and re-decoration were carried out from 1961-4 at a cost of £10,000.

(extracted from A brief history of the Buildings of the Church in the Parishes of Newtown & Llanlwlchaiarn by H.N. Oliver)

Sadly, because of insurmountable infrastructure problems, the church had to close in June 2006 and the Parish of Newtown merged with the Parish of Llanllwchaiarn.

The church has recently been sold  and is in need of  some restoration work. this like the Cross building and it seems all the older structures are being  taken over by nature IE plants growing out of them.

the rear of the church where the vadals and thieves go unoticed

thieves have taken the copper lightning conductor and the copper earth wire,

cross building St Davids church and the rail station from Brimmon hill

pryce jones building in the background,  is under construction  covered over in building wrap netting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pryce_Pryce-Jones

Pryce Jones’ in Newtown

Born 1834 in Newtown, Pryce Jones took over the drapery business where he was apprenticed in 1856. The business, renamed the Royal Welsh Warehouse, prospered on the trade generated by sending out price lists to prospective customers. In 1890 an illustrated catalogue replaced the price lists, and this was the beginning of catalogue shopping. The firm was taken over by department store firm Lewis’s of Liverpool in 1938, but the warehouse he built in Newtown is still home to several retail businesses.

3 roof trusses is all thats left of the milk bottling plant Lower Canal Road Newtown Powys

no its not cross building its the same species of plant the "ELDER" Sambucus nigra, (caprifoliacae) once its roots get a hold in the masonry joints just like the ivy it eats the mortar and eventually the structure weakens and collapses or as in this case the water got in the joints and the ice in last winters severe weather caused the collapse in the stone work of the bridge.

Newtown Aberbechan bridge could be closed for many months

the collapsed part of the bridge nearest the main A483 road

A NORTH Powys bridge – will be closed to all traffic for safety reasons for a number of months after it was damaged following the recent severe cold weather.

Aberbechan Bridge on the B4389 near Newtown closed on Sunday, January 2 after the council received reports that cracks started to appear.  An assessment of the Grade II listed structure showed that the bridge is in a dangerous condition.

The closure is already causing severe traffic problems in Newtown.

Local traffic diversions have been put into place and barriers have been placed both  ends  to stop all vehicles and pedestrians from crossing the bridge.

A spokesperson for Powys County Council said: “The council decided to take emergency action to close the bridge because the recent severe cold weather had made the structure dangerous to travel over.

“By closing the bridge we hope to prevent further damage occurring to the bridge.

“A full assessment of the structure’s condition will be carried out by the council.  This will then determine how the council will repair the damage to the bridge.

“It is too early to say when the bridge will re-open and how much it will cost to repair the damage.  However, as it is a listed structure over a river, we will need to consult the Environment Agency and Cadw on any works that are required.

“At this stage, the bridge will be closed for a number of months.”

lot of damage to the stone work of the bridge besides the already colopsed end, there does not seem to be any damage to the brickwork of the arches.