Knighton, Powys

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Knighton



Population	3,901
OS grid reference	SO285725
Principal area	Powys
Ceremonial county	Powys
Constituent country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KNIGHTON
Postcode district	LD7
Dialling code	01547
Police	Dyfed-Powys
Fire	Mid and West Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
UK Parliament	Brecon & Radnorshire
European Parliament	Wales
List of places: UK • Wales • Powys

Coordinates: 52°19′25″N 3°01′43″W / 52.3236, -3.0285

Knighton (in Welsh, Trefyclo or Trefyclawdd; meaning "Town on the Dyke") is a town situated chiefly in Powys, Wales. Lying on the River Teme, the town straddles the English-Welsh border: Knighton railway station, as well as a small part of the town's built-up area, lie in Shropshire, England.

Etymology

The name Knighton derives from the Old English words cniht and tūn meaning, respectively, "a soldier, personal follower, young man, servant, thane, freeman" and "farm, settlement, homestead", implying that the settlement was probably founded as the result of a grant of land to freemen to form an estate.

History

Early History

Caer Caradoc, an Iron Age hillfort associated with Caradoc or Caractacus lies nearby - towards Clun - and Watling Street passes a few miles to the east at Leintwardine. Knighton is known for its well preserved section of Offa's Dyke. It lies on the Offa's Dyke Path and Glyndwr's Way, two long distance footpaths. Wat's Dyke also runs parallel to Offa's Dyke, a few miles to the east. Wat's Dyke Way is a proposed walking route following the line of Wat's Dyke from Holywell via Buckley, Caergwrle, Wrexham to Overton and further south. Wat's Dyke is a linear feature which runs almost north/south along the border area of England and Wales. It begins at Basingwerk near Holywell, Clwyd on the Dee Estuary; passing through Mold, Flintshire, it turns south to join the Alyn Valley, passing through Hope and Wrexham on its way to Oswestry. It is 49 miles long but the reasons for its construction and who was responsible for Wat's Dyke are unknown.

Norman and medieval

A Norman castle was constructed in the 12th century, and the town became a borough in 1203, with a charter permitting a weekly market and annual fair. The castle was besieged by Owain Glyndŵr in 1402 and the castle and much of the town were destroyed. The town soon prospered again as a centre of the wool trade.
The church dates from the 11th century, although much was rebuilt in the 19th century. It is one of only two in Wales dedicated to St Edward. Knighton prospered as a centre of the wool trade from the 15th century, and was later an important point on the drover routes from Montgomery to Hereford, and from London to Aberystwyth. Knighton was finally confirmed as part of Wales in 1535 by the Acts of Union.

Knighton town centre

Modern

Victorian

The 1840s and 1850s saw considerable railway building right across Great Britain. Radnorshire, however, had a small population and little industry. The construction of the railway was made economically viable - just - through the drive to connect the Mumbles and Milford Haven with the cities and factories of the Midlands and North of England. The Knighton Railway company was formed by local landowners and businessmen to build a line from Craven Arms to the town. Work began in August 1858 and the line reached Knighton in March 1861. The station itself was built in 1865.^[1].

Recent history

To mark the accession of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 the initials "ER" were planted out in deciduous trees in an evergreen forest on the hill to the north of the town^[2]. In August 1970, Knighton hosted a Rock Festival with bands such as, The Move and the somewhat more obscure Pete Brown & Piblokto, Roger Bunn, Forever More, Clark-Hutchinson, James Litherland’s Brotherhood (James was originally part of Colosseum) and Killing Floor. Comperes were radio DJ Pete Drummond and local resident and bluesman Alexis Korner, who also performed^[3]. In 1971 the Offa's Dyke Path long distance footpath was inaugurated in the town. On 18 August 2004, fish fell from the sky in one of the most recent instances of raining animals within the United Kingdom^[4].

Attractions

Carnival & Show

On the last Saturday in August the town holds it's annual Carnival and Show, which attracts thousands of visitors to the town from all over the world. It features two parades one at midday and another at around 8pm; these consist of various themed carnival floats and people dressed in fancy dress. The show takes place at the town's showground at Bryn-y-Castell which is also home to Knighton Town F.C., Knighton Cricket Club and Knighton Hockey Club.

Castle

The visible remains of two early castle mottes^[5]. One at Bryn-y-Castell and the other hidden behind the fire station and in a private garden^[6].

Observatory

An observatory with a telescope, Europe's largest camera obscura and a planetarium. The observatory is part of the Spaceguard UK^[7]. project which searches for asteroids that might threaten the earth.

Landmarks

The Clock Tower - similar to those in Rhayader, Hay on Wye and Machynlleth - built in 1872 is a central landmark.

Pubs

Remarkably, the town has one pub or club for every 480 inhabitants; equivalent to a ratio of 1:240 if half the population is discounted as too young or too infirm. Compare this with a ratio of 1:2400 in Sandhurst. Pubs include:

George & Dragon
The Red Lion
The Golden Lion
The Plough
The Horse & Jockey
The Kingsley
The Knighton Hotel
The RAFA Club
The Football Club

Economy

The town has a variety of shops serving a large rural hinterland. Otherwise, and in common with many small towns, Knighton has little industry^[8]. and most young people leave after completing their education. Tourism is crucial and, consequently, the area was hit hard by the Foot and Mouth epidemic of 2001^[9].
Responsibility for economic development lies with the Welsh Assembly Government.

Notable current and former residents

The actor Richard Thorp (1932– ) best known as the tubby publican Alan Turner in Emmerdale lives at Skyborry^[10].
Actress Julie Christie (1941– ) lived nearby in the 1970s^[11].
The Musician, Songwriter, Historian, Broadcaster Alexis Korner (1928–1984) also lived nearby in the 1970s
The writer Roy Kerridge often stayed in the town because it was cheap^[12].
The footballer Arthur Rowley (1926 - 2002) - brother of England international Jack - managed the town's football team^[13].
The saxophonist and composer Dick Heckstall-Smith (1934 - 2004) was raised near the town[1].
Commodore Paul Webb (1918 - 2007). One of the three Spitfire pilots who took part in the shooting down of the first German aircraft attacking a target on British soil during World War 2^[14].
Emma Watkins, wife of David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland and chatelaine of Belvoir Castle, was born and raised locally.
Sir Simon Gourlay former President of the NFU farms locally^[15]^[16].

Films

Second Best. Released 1994. Starring, William Hurt. Filmed, in part, in Knighton^[17].
Gone to Earth. Released 1950. Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Used the nearby location of New Invention^[18]

National Trails

Perhaps uniquely, Knighton is at the centre or the start of 2 National Trails:

Glyndwr's Way
Offa's Dyke Path. The Offa's Dyke Association has a visitors' centre in the town alongside the site of the ceremony at which John Hunt, Baron Hunt of Llanfair Waterdine inaugurated the long distance footpath in 1971. It is a walk recommended by the Daily Telegraph^[19].

The Jack Mytton Way passes nearby and another, Wat's Dyke Way, is proposed^[20].

Physical geography

Knighton lies on Ludlovian rocks of the Silurian period and at the southern edge of the ice sheet during the last ice age^[21]. The town centre lies at circa 174 metres above sea level although the surrounding hills - Bailey Hill- rise to 418 metres above sea level.