Llandinam () is a village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

, central

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, between Newtown and Llanidloes, located on the A470. As a community, Llandinam is made up of the village itself, small hamlets including Plas Dinam and Little London and several farms. The village itself has a population of around 576 with 56% born in Wales.

History and notable people

Llandinam was the family home of David Davies (1818–1890) who was responsible for much of the development of the South Wales Valleys and the export of coal in the 19th century. His grandson David Davies, 1st Baron Davies FRGS (1880–1944) became MP for

from 1906 to 1929. The parents of

Murray Humphreys Murray Humphreys (born Llewellyn Morris Humphreys; April 20, 1899 – November 23, 1965), also known as The Camel or The Hump, was a Chicago mobster of Wales, Welsh descent who was the chief political fixer (person), fixer and labor racketee ...

(1899–1965), one of

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's most feared Prohibition gangsters, emigrated to the United States from the village in the late 1890s. Gordonstoun school was evacuated here for the duration of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The village was previously served by Llandinam railway station on the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway.

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name existed, which also covered the neighbouring community of Mochdre. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 1,405. It elected its first

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

County Councillor in May 2017. From the 2022 local election the Llandinam ward became 'Llandinam and Dolfor', following the merger with part of the neighbouring Kerry community. It continued to be represented by one county councillor.

Notable buildings

St Llonio's Church

St Llonio's Church is located north of the village, on a spur of land jutting into the Severn Valley, and within a fortified

promontory fort A promontory fort is a fortification, defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the Rampart (fortification), ramparts needed. The oldest kno ...

. It was originally the mother church of those at Llanidloes and Llanwnnog, serving a monastery until the late 13th century. The church is thought to date from around AD 520. It was initially a clas structure. Its tower has a pyramidal slate roof over a timber belfry, dating from the 13th century. It is recorded as ''Ecclesia de Landinam'' in the Norwich Taxation of 1254 with a value of £1 6s 8d. The majority of the church was rebuilt in the 19th century, a restoration undertaken by George Edmund Street. The church still retains some original features, however, most notably the northern wall of the chancel. During the restoration, new windows were installed in a neo-Gothic style. The churchyard contains a number of old trees, principally oaks and yews, including one of the latter which is claimed to be around 800 years old. The churchyard contains the war graves of three Royal Welsh Fusiliers soldiers of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The church, which is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, is in the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales () is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The position is currently held b ...

parish of Bro Arwystli. It has its own

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page, which features photographs of some of its architectural features.

Llandinam Bridge

The

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

from the main road over towards Broneirion was the first

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

bridge constructed in the county, designed by Thomas Penson and built by Davies 1846. It spans 90 feet (27.5 m). At the east end of the bridge there is a statue of David Davies.

Broneirion

The house that David Davies built, Broneirion, remains an elegant country

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

owned by Girlguiding Cymru.

Plâs Dinam

Plâs Dinam was bought by David Davies for his son, Edward. Designed by William Eden Nesfield in 1873-1874, it is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. Its garden is listed at Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

References

External links

Photos of Llandinam and surrounding area on geograph.orgVillage Website
{{authority control Historic Montgomeryshire parishes Villages in Powys Registered historic parks and gardens in Powys Populated places on the River Severn Former wards of Powys