Photographs of the old village of Llanwddyn
and the construction of the Vyrnwy dam and lake
New temporary exhibition
at Powysland Museum in Welshpool
8th of January – 3rd of March 2015
In 2013 Powysland Museum was successful in acquiring a photographic album with some very old and interesting photos of the Vyrnwy Valley before and during construction of the dam.
Lake Vyrnwy with its dam, tower and tunnel was built as a water reservoir for far-away Liverpool during the 1880’s. The construction demanded the flooding and destruction of the small village of Llanwddyn, whose residents had to move to a new village nearby rebuilding their houses, their church and other amenities.
The photographs give a fascinating glimpse of the old village of Llanwddyn with many of its inhabitants – some dressed in their finest for the photographer. Most of the photographs show aspects of the construction of the dam and the lake – an engineering feat for its time.
The album was bought at auction with financial support from the R.U.Sayce Bequest for which the museum is most grateful. The album is normally kept safe and stable in the museum store with copies being available for museum visitors. But for this exhibition the original photographs are on display together with copies of other postcards and photographs.
Opening hours:
Weekdays – except Wednesday : 11am-1pm and 2-5pm
Saturdays : 11am – 2pm
For further information contact the curator on 01938 554656 or powysland@powys.gov.uk
