THE CENTRES OF VILLAGE LIFE

Old Llanymynech was a small village and, even allowing for passing trade, to keep five public houses profitable local beer sales would have had to be on a grand scale. No doubt such a high level of drinking would have been due in part to the employment of most of the village men. Work on the land, building, burning lime, quarrying and forestry work were all hard, back-breaking and sweaty jobs which drained moisture from the body. Consuming large quantities of beer would have been a sociable and enjoyable way of replacing this lost fluid.

Four of the hostelries and many of the old buildings have survived and much of the village centre is now a conservation area. New houses have been built but they are on the outskirts so do not detract from the historic appearance of the old village. The Sun, by the canal, was demolished many years ago but The Cross Keys, The Bradford Arms and The Dolphin, where good food and drink is available, are still thriving. Sadly, The Lion Hotel closed in 2005 and was sold, it’s future as yet undecided, although the building is listed so must retain its outside appearance. Queen Victoria stopped for a short time at The Lion in 1832 on her way to Oswestry. The local quarrymen fired a salvo in celebration.

On one corner of the cross roads, opposite Ty Croes, is a garage and behind that houses. This was the site of the field where fights would take place with the loser being thrown in the cess pit! Next door to Ty Croes is The Dolphin with a free public car park to the rear, and access to the canal towpath. The Ashfield Stores & Post Office is on the corner of Ashfield Terrace at the car park entrance.

THE CHURCH. Near the Lion, on the southern edge of the village, is the church of St. Agatha. Built in the Normanesque style, the present church is constructed mainly from local limestone. The arches and ornamental portions, which are terracotta, were possibly fired at Morda, near Oswestry. The foundation stone was laid in 1843 and this is the third church to stand on this site, the first being built of wood, and the second constructed of stone in 1272 to 1307. The unusual design of the present building, particularly when viewed from The Hill, adds an almost Alpine atmosphere to the village scene. On the tower is a clock with an extra large face. The clock was made and donated by the Richard Roberts, a local inventor and business man who eventually became a famous engineer. Amongst many other innovative achievements, Richard designed the self acting ‘mule’ which considerably improved the productivity in cotton mills, and patented a method of piercing steel plates with rivet holes to enable them to match each other. This was used in the building of the Conway and Britannia bridges in North Wales. Richard’s one stipulation for his gift was that the clock face had to be visible from the quarry for the benefit of the workers. On entering the door at the base of the tower the long pendulum is seen slowly swinging to and fro.

St. Agatha’s still plays an important part of village life, with a lively congregation. Inside the church, on the western end, are two sets of three beautifully embroidered panels, depicting local scenes. These are the result of the Pant And Llanymynech Millennium, (PALM), embroidery project, and were created from 1998 to 2001 by members of the villages Women’s Institutes, with help from other ladies, and are well worth a visit.