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Tours > Wales > Machynlleth
Machynlleth (Mack un Thleth)
It was at Machynlleth, a little market town in mid-Wales on the estuary of the Dovey, on Cardigan Bay, in 1404 that Glyndwr, the great Welsh patriot and visionary, created his first Parliament (others were planned for Dolgellau, Harlech and Pennal). It was here that Glyndwr concluded his alliance with the French king and revived the ancient dreams of his people, those of the Arthurian tradition first written about by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Parts of Owain's original parliament house is embedded in the walls of the old Maerdy or Court House in Maengwyn Street (Mine Gwin).
 Owain's banner was that of the Red Dragon, the ancient symbol of victory of Briton over Saxon. In 1400, after being crowned Prince of Wales by a small group of supporters, he began his long-awaited rebellion to free his country from English dominance. By 1404, it seemed as if the long-awaited dream of independence was fast becoming a reality. Glyndwr had beaten-down three royal expeditions, held Harlech and Aberystwyth and had extended his influence as far as Glamorgan and Gwent. He was supported by Ireland and Scotland, had formed an alliance with France, was recognized by the leading Welsh bishops, and had summoned a parliament at Machynlleth, where he was crowned Prince of Wales.
Then the dream died. Owain's parliament was the very last to meet on Welsh soil; the last occassion that the Welsh people had the power of acting independently of English rule. From such a promising beginning, to a national revolt came a disappointing conclusion, even more upsetting because of the speed at which Welsh hopes crumbled with the failure of this alliance and the defeat of his allies.
Prince Henry retook much of the land captured by Owain, including many strategic castles. The boroughs with their large populations of "settlers," remained English, and by the end of 1409, the Welsh rebellion had dwindled down to a series of guerilla raids led by the mysterious Owain, whose wife and two daughters had been captured at Harlech and taken to London as prisoners.
Owain himself went into the mountains, becoming an outlaw. He may have suffered an early death, for from that time on, nothing is known of him either by the Welsh or the English. He simply vanished from sight. According to an anonymous writer in 1415, "Very many say that he [Owain Glyndwr] died; the seers say that he did not." There has been much speculation as to his fate and much guessing as to where he ended his final days and was laid to rest.
There is more to see in Machynlleth than the old Parliament House of Owain Glyndwr. First of all, the situation of the town itself commands attention, at a crossing of the River Dyfi (Duvee), with the huge bulk of Cader Idris (Kad-er Idriss) to the north, Aran Fawddwy (Arran Vow thoowy) to the northeast, and Plynlimon to the south.
Situated at the junction of the road coming from Newtown in the west (A470) and the north-south road linking Dolgellau with Aberystwyth (A487), Machynlleth has held its Wednesday market ever since the granting of a 1291 charter by Edward I to his supporter, the Lord of Powys. Sheepdog trials are held every summer on the grounds of Llynlloed (Thlin thloyd) Hall.
In the center of town, the very conspicuous town clock was erected by the townspeople in 1873 to celebrate the coming of age of Viscount Castlereagh, the eldest son of the Marquis. The town also contains the half-timbered house of the Lordship of Cyfeiliog (Kuv Eye Leeog), and the Chest Hospital, originally the workhouse built in 1834.
Before leaving Machynlleth, one should visit Celtica, an exhibition that gives the story of the Celtic people, with special emphasis on the Celtic inheritance of modern Wales. Celtica is housed in Plas Machynlleth, dating from 1565, former home of the Marquis of Londonderry and later, the Montgomeryshire District Council. It uses the latest audio-visual technology to bring to life the sights and sounds of Wales' Celtic past.
Just north of the town on the site of the Llwyngwern (Thloo in ware'n) Quarry is the highly informative Centre for Alternative Technology. The center has been described as a microcosm of what some see as the world of tomorrow, for it is not only a museum, but applies real-life techniques to save precious non-renewable resources and to eliminate waste and pollution. Rather than use electricity supplied from the grid, it uses renewable energy sources of wind, water, solar energy and biofuels.
All the cottages are built of recycled materials and heated by solar power or wood stoves. Human waste from the public toilets is recycled into fertilizer for the growing of organic vegetables. Visitors are transported round the site by non-pollutant bicycles, water turbine-charged electric vehicles and a steel track site railway operated by hand. Courses are offered in alternative energy sources, low-cost building, fish-farming, bee-keeping, and organic gardening.
Next Stop: Dolgellau
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