Rhaglen 8 Bro...

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-Welcome to Bro.

-Today, we're visiting the town

-where I live.

-Even though I know this town well,

-there are sights I haven't seen.

-Yes, we're in Newtown

-but the town looks rather old to me.

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-Newtown is one

-of the largest towns in mid Wales.

-It's a market town

-on the banks of the River Severn.

-Back in the early 1960s...

-..the river burst its banks

-several times...

-..causing extensive damage

-to buildings in the town centre.

-The situation was so serious...

-..plans were drawn up to rehouse

-the population on higher ground.

-In 1965, a decision

-was made to save Newtown...

-..by changing the river's course

-and investing in flood defences.

-New businesses were established...

-..new housing estates were built

-and the population increased.

-The history of Newtown begins

-before founding the town...

-..in the castle

-of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Dolforwyn.

-I met up with Penri Roberts

-to visit the remote castle ruins.

-It's larger than I expected.

-It's a large fort.

-We're four or five miles

-from Newtown.

-What is the connection between

-Dolforwyn Castle and Newtown?

-This castle was here before Newtown.

-There was a small Welsh village

-just outside the castle walls...

-..consisting of thatched-roof

-cottages with small gardens.

-The people who lived there were

-servants and maids in the castle.

-Llywelyn had a fort

-and people to work in the fort.

-When the castle was taken...

-..in 1277 by Roger Mortimer

-of Montgomeryshire...

-..he dismantled the village

-and built Newtown...

-..four miles further down

-the valley.

-Newtown isn't that new.

-No, Newtown itself

-is over 600 years old...

-..but it's still a new town.

-What happened to the castle

-after it was taken?

-When it was taken...

-..it is believed that only the

-rectangular and oval towers existed.

-The curtain wall was built

-by the Mortimers later.

-An interesting aspect

-was the absence of a well.

-One of Roger Mortimer's first duties

-was to dig a well...

-..to make sure the same

-wouldn't happen to him.

-I don't think the castle

-was captured after that.

-Edward I gave Roger Mortimer

-the castle as a gift.

-He lived here...

-..reinforced the castle

-and extended the main building.

-After that, the castle only

-survived for another 150 years...

-..then it lay derelict.

-Slowly,

-the castle fell into wrack and ruin.

-How Welsh is Newtown?

-We're on the border with England.

-You're Welsh through and through...

-..being born and raised

-near the border.

-Yes, in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant,

-six miles from the border.

-Since the Middle Ages, Newtown

-hasn't been a very Welsh town.

-When I moved here, as a teacher,

-it was a very anglicized town.

-However, the situation is changing.

-People are trying to safeguard the

-language, culture and traditions.

-Gradually, I feel Newtown

-is becoming more Welsh.

-In the early 19th century...

-..Newtown's population grew

-from 1,000 to over 4,500...

-..as the town became an important

-centre for the spinning industry.

-The woollen industry

-remains strong locally.

-Wool is delivered every morning...

-..and the depot knows precisely how

-much work they have ahead that day.

-They make sure plenty of wool

-comes in and it's then graded.

-It's baled into a bales tin...

-..and every bale is then cored.

-A hole is made in the bale...

-..and the wool is tested to ensure

-the quality is up to standard.

-The history of wool and the history

-of Newtown go hand in hand.

-For many centuries, certainly.

-A lot of wool was treated

-on farms in the 18th century...

-..before the first factories

-were built.

-Wool was woven on the farms.

-Soon, the wool was treated

-in the local factories.

-From 1700, right through

-until the 19th century...

-..several factories

-were opened here.

-There were six factories in town

-weaving wool.

-Montgomeryshire was renowned

-for its frieze wool.

-It was a well set type of wool.

-Homespun cloth. I remember Mam

-telling me about this.

-It was cheap to buy...

-..but it was good quality.

-Flannel was also produced

-in Montgomeryshire.

-You'll remember flannel shirts.

-They were manufactured

-in these factories.

-They produced flannel by the yard...

-..for export all over the world.

-The town centre itself

-is rather small.

-It'd be great to have the company

-of a local to show me around.

-Taxi!

-Hello, how are you?

-Are you well?

-Are you well?

-

-Yes, thank you.

-What's your name?

-What's your name?

-

-Hywel Richards - or Hyw Bach.

-Hyw Bach? I'm Shan.

-How are you, Shan?

-As a taxi driver, Hyw, you must

-have seen some sights in this car.

-I've had a lot of fun, yes.

-Can you tell me a story or two?

-One story I remember goes back

-to when I started driving taxis.

-I still had L plates.

-I picked someone up one night.

-He'd had a pint or two too many.

-He didn't want to pay.

-He left his cardigan in the car.

-I sold the cardigan in

-a car boot sale to pay for the fare.

-He still doesn't know.

-That's fair enough.

-Fair play to you.

-I don't know where I want to go.

-The Monty Club, maybe. I've heard

-some good reviews about it.

-It's a good place to go.

-I'll be there for the night.

-I'll get a taxi home!

-If I'm skint,

-you could sell my coat!

-OK.

-Well, John,

-I've known you for over 20 years.

-You've never mentioned Meccano to me

-before but your house is full of it.

-You've never asked me

-about it before.

-When did your interest

-in Meccano begin?

-My interest began one Christmas

-in the 1950s...

-..when I had a No.4 set

-similar to this, in green and red.

-The toy business started in 1901

-with Mechanics Made Easy...

-..by a man named Frank Hornby

-in Liverpool.

-The name was changed to Meccano

-in 1907.

-Well, well, well.

-You have a vast collection here.

-Some of these are functional.

-Yes, this one works.

-It's a steam engine from a factory.

-That's great.

-Did you build this from scratch?

-From scratch, yes. I'd better

-stop it - it's rather noisy.

-What's next for you?

-Are you looking for large pieces?

-Or are you collecting old pieces?

-That's a difficult question

-to answer.

-I'm very haphazard.

-I don't have any specific

-intentions. I buy what I see.

-On eBay and such sites.

-Recently, well,

-yesterday actually...

-..I received an Erector set

-from America.

-Frank Hornby started it all...

-..but by now,

-there are over 500 similar sets.

-Erector in America,

-Marklin and Stabil in Germany...

-..Stokys in Switzerland,

-Temsi in Holland...

-..and many, many more.

-This house -

-is it made of bricks or Meccano?

-Is it strong enough to hold us?

-There are times when I fear Meccano

-will fall through the ceiling!

-Different events are held in the

-Monty Club every night of the week.

-Tonight, folk band Ffonic

-are rehearsing.

-Rhys, this is where you are.

-Are you OK?

-It's a lovely room for rehearsing.

-Yes, it's great.

-You're obviously very musical -

-the violin is your instrument.

-Do you enjoy playing

-the folk repertoire?

-Or do you prefer other styles?

-I like folk music but I also play

-classical music with an orchestra.

-But rehearsals aren't held

-during the summer holidays.

-It's fun to play in an orchestra.

-Esta, you're taking a break.

-You've been rehearsing for a while.

-Rhys has been a member of Ffonic

-for three weeks.

-How long

-have you been with the group?

-From the outset - since 2000.

-Five musicians started rehearsing

-in Gary's kitchen.

-Steve was there too.

-Ffonic has grown over the years.

-You're a large group now.

-Yes, we are - very large!

-I learnt to play

-after joining Ffonic.

-I was awful at the very beginning!

-Me too!

-What do you think of Kitty

-as a leader?

-She's great.

-If we're playing in a barn dance,

-she has a drink or two.

-We have to play at a fast pace then.

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-Newtown's most famous son

-is Robert Owen...

-..founder of the cooperative

-movement, born here in 1771.

-After working as an apprentice

-in a draper's shop...

-..he ran his own factory,

-treating his workers fairly.

-He provided them

-with favourable living conditions.

-Robert Owen set up cooperative

-communities in Scotland and America.

-He returned to Newtown

-and died in 1858.

-Memorials to him can be found

-in various locations around Newtown.

-Another prominent figure

-is Pryce Jones...

-..a businessman who put Newtown

-on the map in the Victorian Age.

-Who was Pryce Jones?

-Well, when he was 12 years old...

-..he went to work for a tailor

-in the town centre.

-He worked there for a while.

-The tailor became ill...

-..and Pryce Jones,

-at an early age...

-..took charge of the business.

-That's how it all started.

-He opened a large shop in town...

-..the Royal Welsh Warehouse,

-before his 20th birthday.

-From there, he would send out

-leaflets and pamphlets...

-..to the richer people

-of the area...

-..to show them what he sold.

-A wise move.

-A wise move.

-

-He had great foresight.

-He was a pioneer.

-That's where the mail order

-business started.

-It all started

-with a few pages of pamphlets...

-..outlining the products

-he had to sell.

-The business grew and grew...

-..until finally,

-he could afford to build this store.

-This building...

-..Agriculture House,

-as it's called nowadays...

-..was linked to this building.

-A bridge used to link

-the two buildings.

-Inside that building, which

-specialized in wool production...

-..they made the clothes

-which were sold here.

-That huge building

-needed to be located...

-..near the train station.

-Three coaches would take the orders

-from here to Euston.

-They would drop off parcels

-at stations along the way.

-It was a huge business.

-Even Queen Victoria

-bought clothes from here.

-Not only Victoria, but all

-the royal families of Europe.

-That's how Victoria heard about him.

-She would send a large number

-of orders to him.

-Bloomers?

-I'm sure one pair was auctioned

-a long time ago! I'm sure of it.

-They were made in Newtown.

-Victoria's bloomers!

-A market has been held in Newtown

-every Tuesday since 1279.

-Let's take a closer look at it.

-Do you think

-I should go bigger or smaller?

-Happy birthday, Iolo!

-You might need a pair of these.

-Len, do you live in Newtown?

-No, I live in Welshpool.

-You're a regular visitor to Newtown.

-I come here three times a week.

-To meet your friends.

-Yes. I like Newtown. I like taking

-my dog for a walk by the river.

-It's a little Jack Russell.

-There's a lovely river in Newtown.

-It's a lovely town.

-Yes, very nice.

-Here we are, an orange juice for me

-and something stronger for Dot.

-Thank you very much.

-I'm wearing the shoes.

-I'm wearing the coat

-but the heavens have opened.

-It's a matter of rain stopped play.

-What can we do?

-Well, we'll have a drink.

-John will be happy.

-# Sunny intervals

-# Sunny intervals

-# Sunny intervals

-# Sunny intervals #

-This is Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd.

-Who exactly was Dafydd Llwyd?

-Back in the 15th century...

-..there was a man named Dafydd Llwyd

-and he was a local lord.

-He lived in a mansion on the hill

-next to the school.

-The hill over there.

-Yes, right next to the school.

-He was a poet and a musician.

-He would invite hundreds of people

-to these fields...

-..to socialize in Welsh.

-When the school

-was established in 2001...

-..it seemed natural to name

-the school - Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd.

-As you can see here...

-...these children are the future

-of the Welsh language.

-You've had a lot of success recently

-in the Urdd Eisteddfod.

-Yes, we competed in Cardiff

-this year.

-We won a recitation group

-and a rock band competition...

-..for the third successive year.

-# I need your company

-# My world won't be complete... #

-I must admit,

-we feel isolated in Newtown.

-These children come

-from English-speaking households.

-95% of these children

-don't speak Welsh at home.

-When they start school,

-they can't speak a word of Welsh...

-..yet they leave

-able to speak two languages.

-Hiya, boys.

-So you're called Da'n Gilydd.

-Let's get your names.

-Glyn, Liam, Jake,

-Dafydd on drums, Aaron and Lloyd.

-Now that you're

-rock and roll stars...

-..do you get more attention

-from the girls?

-Not yet.

-Not yet.

-

-They're all after Lloyd.

-Lloyd's the pin-up boy.

-Do the girls have posters of Lloyd?

-Do the girls have posters of Lloyd?

-

-No!

-No? D'you reckon they've got

-a poster of you, Daf?

-Are you going to continue

-playing as a band?

-Yes, we're going to try our best...

-..but Dafydd's going to Llanfair.

-To the secondary school?

-To the secondary school?

-

-We can rehearse in Dafydd's house.

-I have a set of my own drums

-at home.

-If they bring their instruments,

-we'll see.

-# I need your company

-# My world won't be complete

-# Your company keeps me going

-# Around the world, you're my life #

-One, two, three, four.

-APPLAUSE

-Back in the Monty Club,

-the folk band has left the building.

-The Monty Club Stompers

-have taken their place.

-COUNTRY & WESTERN MUSIC

-Wahey!

-Well done. Where's Mai?

-How are you?

-You're the Monty Club Stompers.

-You're responsible for them all.

-For the past six or seven years.

-They're good line dancers.

-Do you teach them every week?

-Three to four hours,

-every Tuesday night...

-..with Kiri who's been with us since

-she was five and she's twelve now.

-She's at the front of the class

-and I'm at the back.

-It's all about teamwork.

-It's all about teamwork.

-

-Keeping everything organized.

-I'm told that you run

-the Monty Club.

-With my partner Daf.

-He's behind the bar tonight.

-We have line-dancing,

-darts and dominoes here.

-We try to get

-the younger generation involved...

-..to keep the fun going.

-Come on then,

-I watched you dancing as I came in.

-What's it all about?

-I've never done it before.

-Would you like to learn?

-You can't learn looking like that.

-Hold on a second.

-I'm getting worried.

-A hat.

-I can cope with this.

-And a pair of cowboy trousers.

-You'll have to wear these.

-I've got one leg in.

-And the other one.

-Here we go.

-Back and to the side.

-Forward.

-And back.

-And smile.

-Here we go.

-Push up and swing.

-Hey! Hee-hah!

-S4C Subtitles by Simian 04 Cyf.

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