After a very nice stay in the Maesmawr Hotel I headed back into Caersws. The local farmer has tried to block the footpath from the hotel into the village supposedly to discourage dog walkers but it might have been the hotel trying to stop people walking to the pub rather than eating in their restaurant. It was tricky climbing over fences yesterday getting to the hotel but this morning my legs were rather stiff so it was even more of a challenge.
Leaving Caersws the route goes past the workhouse, it is enormous. It was built between 1837 and 1840 to hold 350 inmates. Caersws did not have that many destitute people, it was build to serve both Newtown and Llanidloes but neither town wanted it built near them, a form of 19th century nimbyisum so it was built half way between.
The concept of the workhouse was very unpopular and after the riots by the Chartists in Llanidloes a few years earlier the authorities took no chances and troops were used to provide security during it’s construction. Eventually it became a mental hospital and has now been converted into flats.
The walk followed a number of nice old lanes but most were up and down steep hills (over 1,000ft of climbing today), looking at the guidebook they should be the last significant hills on the walk, I do hope so.
So eventually I arrived in Newtown which has three museums, the Textile Museum, the Robert Owen Museum and the WH Smith Museum and guess what – they were all closed. The good people of Newtown certainly know how to welcome tourists.
Robert Owen, the founder of the Co-operative movement was born in the town although he left before becoming successful. He returned in later life and supposedly said before he died his dream was “to make Newtown a paradise and all its inhabitants angels”. I did not notice any angels as I walked through the town so it looks like he failed.
The WH Smiths museum is above the WH Smith shop but there is no reason for Smiths to have put it here other than it had space, Newtown has not played a significant part in the history of WH Smiths which started out in London.
Newtowns other claim to fame is that the original Amazon was started in the town by Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones (no that is not a misprint), he spotted the opportunity that the railways brought, the local industry was woollen products (underwear, socks, long johns etc) and he realised he could deal directly with the end customer. It was the very first large scale mail order company, the warehouse still dominates the town. He was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1887, apparently she was a customer although what she bought is not advertised.
I am staying in a nice B&B in the centre of town, after finishing this blog I will go in search of Robert Owen’s angels and a curry house for a nice dinner.