Builth Wells (; cy, Llanfair-ym-Muallt) is a
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
and
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
in the county of
Powys
Powys (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh succession of states, successor state, petty kingdom and princi ...
and
historic county of
Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, lying at the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of rivers
Wye and
Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of the
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; cy, Dyffryn Gwy) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales.
The River Wye ( cy, Afon Gwy) is the fourth-longest river in th ...
. In 2011 it had a population of 2,568.
Etymology
''Builth'' is a longstanding anglicization of the Old Welsh ''Buellt/Buallt'', which combines ''bu'' () "
ox" and ''gellt'' (later ''gwellt'') "
lea or leas".
The town added "Wells" in the 19th century when its
springs were promoted as a
visitor attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural b ...
. Its modern
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
name ''Llanfair-ym-Muallt'' means "Saint Mary in Ox Leas".
In the centre of the town is a large mural (about by wide) depicting
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...
, who was killed at the
Battle of Orewin Bridge
The Battle of Orewin Bridge (also known as the Battle of Irfon Bridge) was fought between English (led by the Marcher Lords) and Welsh armies on 11 December 1282 near Builth Wells in mid-Wales. It was a decisive defeat for the Welsh because ...
on 11 December 1282.
Governance
Builth Wells is in the
Brecon and Radnorshire constituency for elections to the UK parliament and
a constituency of the same name for elections to the
Senedd.
For elections to
Powys County Council
Powys County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Powys) is the local authority for Powys, one of the administrative areas of Wales. The County Hall is in Llandrindod Wells.
History
The county of Powys was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Govern ...
the town's boundaries are coterminous with the Builth
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
, which sends one county councillor to sit on the council. Since 1995 the ward had been represented by
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
councillors. At the
May 2017 elections the seat was won by former international
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
player,
Jeremy Pugh
Jeremy David Pugh (born 4 March 1960) is a former international rugby union player. He played for the Wales national rugby union team in the late 1980s.
Pugh played his club rugby for Neath. He first played for Wales in 1987 against the USA. Al ...
, after Avril York resigned in December 2016 to move to
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
.
Town councillors are elected every four years to serve on Builth Wells
Town Council
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.
Republic of Ireland
Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...
and represent the interests of the town's residents.
Livestock breeds
The White Bull of Builth may be a reference to a herd of
White Park Cattle that lived in the area from Post-Roman times. Two herds survived in Wales to modern times. The laws of the time suggest that the medieval and later economy of the Welsh borders was strongly dependent on cattle. The
Hereford cattle
The Hereford is a British breed of beef cattle originally from Herefordshire in the West Midlands of England. It has spread to many countries – there are more than five million purebred Hereford cattle in over fifty nations worldwide. The bre ...
breed, named after
Hereford
Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...
market where it was most prominently sold was the main breed of the Welsh borders. Builth was the market for a variant of the Hereford called the Builth Smokey Face. This was the traditional animal of the area but the breed has not existed for many, many decades.
The
Beulah Speckled Face is a local breed of sheep. Nearby
Mynydd Epynt
Mynydd Epynt () is a former community and upland area in Powys, Wales.
The Ministry of Defence controversially evicted the community of Mynydd Epynt in 1940, creating what is now the core of the Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA), the largest mil ...
was famous for its horses until it was seized for military training purposes.
The beef cattle market has vanished and economically sheep are now vastly more important than cattle with consequences for the traditional woodlands of the area, the salmon runs and other important ecological features.
Industry
Many of the town's buildings, including the 1876 Market Hall, were built from stone from Llanelwedd Quarry. Much of the facing and other dressed stone used in the construction of the
Elan Valley
The Elan Valley ( cy, Cwm Elan) is a river valley situated to the west of Rhayader, in Powys, Wales, sometimes known as the "Welsh Lake District". It covers of lake and countryside.
The valley contains the Elan Valley Reservoirs and Elan Villa ...
dams was also quarried here. The quarry produced the first occurrence of
laumontite
Laumontite is a mineral, one of the zeolite group. Its molecular formula is , a hydrated calcium-aluminium silicate. Potassium or sodium may substitute for the calcium but only in very small amounts.
It is monoclinic, space group C2/m. It forms ...
in Wales. The quarry is operated by
Hanson Aggregates.
Transport
![Builth Wells Station 1935817](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Builth_Wells_Station_1935817.jpg)
The town is served by
Builth Road railway station
Builth Road railway station is a station primarily serving the town of Builth Wells, in mid Wales. It is on the Heart of Wales Line. The station is over two miles (about 3.5 km) northwest of Builth Wells via the A470, a busy trunk road.
...
on the
Heart of Wales Line
The Heart of Wales line ( cy, Llinell Calon Cymru) is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales. It serves a number of rural centres, including the nineteenth-century spa towns Llandrindod Wells, Lla ...
, which is located just over 2 miles to the north-west. The more central (
Builth Wells
Builth Wells (; cy, Llanfair-ym-Muallt) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of ...
) railway station on the
Mid-Wales Railway
The Mid-Wales Railway was conceived as a trunk route through Wales connecting industrial areas in north west England with sea ports in south west Wales. The company was prevented from reaching its goal by competing proposals in Parliament, and i ...
was opened in 1864, and closed with the line in 1962 -actually before the
Beeching Axe. It was located across the river, next to the present showground.
A dedicated cycle route linking the town with
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
(
NCR 43
National Cycle Network, Route 43 is part of the National Cycle Network and the Celtic Trail, which connects Swansea with Builth Wells. Most of the route is still awaiting development. As of June 2006, there is a 13-mile section out of Swansea t ...
) has been proposed and a 13-mile section of the route from Swansea has already been developed.
One of the main Wales north-south trunk roads, the
A483
The A483, officially described as the Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road, although now ending in Chester, is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs from Swansea in Wales to Chester in England via Llandovery, Llandrindod Wells, Oswestry and W ...
, passes through the town, using the former railway route. As of June 2009 part of this road, along with the other main route through town (
A470
The A470 (also named the Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road) is a trunk road in Wales. It is the country's longest road at and links the capital Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. While previously one had to navigat ...
), is the subject of a transport study by the Welsh Assembly to help alleviate traffic congestion in the town centre.
The 18th-century bridge at Builth Wells carries heavy vehicles on the A470. It has six fine masonry spans, with relatively small round cutwaters, which are fitted on the upstream side with stout steel fenders to provide protection from debris. The centre of the bridge has a pedestrian refuge on each side. The bridge was built in 1775 and widened in 1925. The river here marks the boundary between the old counties of Breconshire and Radnorshire.
Education and recreation
Ysgol Calon Cymru is the main
secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
and is
bilingual. It replaced Builth Wells High School in September 2018 and can draw on certain specialist teachers and facilities as is dual campus with its other site in
Llandrindod Wells
Llandrindod Wells (, ; cy, Llandrindod, /ɬanˈdɾindɔd/ "Trinity Parish"), sometimes known colloquially as Llandod, is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, Wales. It serves as the seat of Powy ...
. In 2000 its predecessor was placed 67th in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
(by percentage of its children, 59%, gaining 5
GCSEs at full pass grades A*–C). According to a 2010 report by
Estyn
Estyn is the education and training inspectorate for Wales. Its name comes from the Welsh language verb ''estyn'' meaning "to reach (out), stretch or extend". Its function is to provide an independent inspection and advice service on quality ...
its rate rose to 77%, making it 9th best performing (state secondary) in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and the only ranking in
Powys
Powys (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh succession of states, successor state, petty kingdom and princi ...
after
Llanidloes High School
Llanidloes High School is a state secondary school and sixth form in Llanidloes, Powys. The school had 564 pupils on roll in 2016. It is an English-medium school with significant Welsh language provision, with pupils attending from other parts o ...
. A fall to two years of Special Measures was followed in 2017 by the closing report of the old school finding sufficient progress to remove it from those measures. Progress was ranked as strong as to six recommendations of 2015, in 2017, and sufficient progress as to the other.
The town features Wyeside Arts Centre, which has two cinemas and a live performance stage.
Builth Wells has a
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
team called
Builth Wells RFC
Builth Wells Rugby Football Club is a Rugby union in Wales, Welsh rugby union team based in Builth Wells. Today, Builth Wells RFC play in the Welsh Rugby Union, Division Two West Central League. Builth Wells RFC are a feeder club for Cardiff Blues ...
, also known as 'The Bulls', who play on the Groe. The team play in the WRU SWALEC National League 2.
The town's football team is
Builth Wells F.C. who play in the
Ardal Leagues
The Ardal Leagues are a football league in Wales. The word "ardal" translates as "district" in English, with Wales split into four regions at this level. They have clubs with amateur/semi-professional status and sit at the third level of the Wel ...
, the third tier of Welsh football.
Builth Male Voice Choir has approximately fifty members and performs concerts to support local and national charities.
Builth Wells also has a cricket pitch, tennis courts, a sports centre with squash courts, a 25m swimming pool and a bowling green.
Notable people
:''See
:People from Builth Wells''.
Buildings and landmarks
![Flooding at Builth Wells (1294563)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Flooding_at_Builth_Wells_%281294563%29.jpg)
Builth Wells has a large number of Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s and fixtures.
A plaque on the wall of the
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
stakes its claim as the only in England and Wales to bear a contemporary inscription to less-than-one-year monarch
Edward VIII. The claim can be qualified to active post offices as the former one in
Bradford-on-Avon
Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, s ...
has a similar insignia.
After a small health centre opened in the town,
Builth Wells Hospital closed in 2013.
References
External links
BBC Wales feature on Builth Wells lifewww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Builth Wells and surrounding area
{{Authority control
Market towns in Wales
Spa towns in Wales
Towns in Powys