Presteigne
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 Presteigne High Street | |
  Presteigne Location withinPowys | |
| Population | 2,710 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SO315645 |
| Community |
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| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PRESTEIGNE |
| Postcode district | LD8 |
| Dialling code | 01544 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
52°16′28″N3°00′19″W / 52.27436°N 3.00536°W /52.27436; -3.00536 Community map
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Presteigne (/prɛsˈtiːn/;Welsh:Llanandras: the church ofSt. Andrew) is a town andcommunity on the south bank of theRiver Lugg inPowys, Wales. The town is located on theEngland–Wales border, which surrounds it to the north, east and south. Nearby towns areKington, Herefordshire to the south andKnighton to the north, and surrounding villages includeNorton (within the community) andStapleton. The community has a population of 2,710; the built-up area had a population of 2,056.[3]
Presteigne was formerly thecounty town of thehistoric county ofRadnorshire. Despite being in Wales, it is part of thediocese of Hereford in theChurch of England.
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The town probably began as a small settlement around aMinsterchurch dedicated toSt Andrew and at the time of theDomesday Book it formed part of themanor of Humet.
By the mid-12th century, it was known as 'Presthemede' or 'the bordering meadow of the priests'. A century later, it passed into the control of theMortimers, powerfulMarcher lords, and on their fall passed into the hands of theCrown.
At the end of the 13th century, the majority of the town's inhabitants, mainly English, enjoyed some prosperity but theBlack Death and theGlyndŵr rebellion had destroyed this and by the end of the 15th century, the now largely Welsh, population lived in a struggling village. A significant victory in their rebellion was won by the forces ofOwain Glyndŵr nearby at theBattle of Bryn Glas in 1402.
The development of a thriving cloth industry in theTudor period brought short-lived prosperity, ended by three new epidemics ofplague in three successive generations. Thereafter it became amarket town and, until the later 16th century, a centre for processing locally grownbarley intomalt.
By theActs of Union, Presteigne - at first jointly withNew Radnor - became thecounty town ofRadnorshire and its administrative and judicial centre, housing the county gaol and theShire Hall.[4]
By the end of the 19th century, its newer and larger neighbour,Llandrindod Wells, had usurped the role of administrative centre, but Presteigne remained the venue for theAssizes until these were abolished in 1971.
After a period of stagnation in the first half of the 20th century, the town has developed a diverse manufacturing base[5] and has begun to exploit its tourism potential while its environment and the development of its social, cultural and leisure facilities have helped to attract people to settle.[6]
Presteigne attracted national attention in 2004 for an unsuccessful campaign by itsMayor, Councillor Peggy Fraser-Scott, to enforce acurfew on the town's youth.[7]
Henry Edward'sOld English Customs: Curious Requests and Charities mentions the bell ringer appointed byJohn Beddoes in 1565 to ring a "day bell" at 8am, and acurfew at 8pm. Beddoes specified that in the event of the custom being abandoned for more than a year, (except inplagues) the funds set aside for this position would revert to his heirs.
Beddoes, a wool merchant, gave his name to Presteigne's secondary school – John Beddoes School – which he established in 1565 and endowed with land.
During the 1930s, theMinistry of Labour opened a work camp for long-term unemployed young men. Many of the inmates came from the crisis-hitcoal mining,steel and heavy industry communities ofSouth Wales. Presteigne was one of a number of Instructional Centres created by the Ministry, and it also had a satellite camp inShobdon,Herefordshire. By 1938, the Ministry had 38 Instructional Centres across Britain. The camp was situated in Slough Lane near Hill Farm and is now a small private housing site. Land owned by Capt Lewis RN, of Clatterbrune House, was used to hold firstItalian and thenGermanPOW's during theSecond World War and is now the home ofPresteigne St. Andrews Football Club.
The town has become a local cultural centre. It hosts two indigenous festivals. First, theSheep Music Festival dedicated to contemporary music;[8] and thePresteigne Festival of Music and the Arts[9] which casts a broader cultural net. It attracts composers of the calibre ofIan Wilson.The town has an award-winningmuseum - The Judge's Lodging - created from the disusedShire Hall and re-opened byRobert Hardy in 1997.[10] The Church ofSt Andrew permanently houses a 16th-centuryFlemishTapestry. Presteigne was also host to the world's first competitive electric bicycle race.[11]
Since the town is close to theWales andEngland border, local news and television programmes are provided byBBC West Midlands andITV Central that broadcast fromBirmingham. Television signals are received from theRidge Hill TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter.[12] However,BBC Cymru Wales andITV Cymru Wales can also be received through satellite television such asFreesat andSky. Local radio stations areBBC Radio Wales,BBC Radio Cymru,Heart North and Mid Wales andSunshine Radio.The town is served by the local newspapers,County Times andBrecon & Radnor Express[13][14]
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TheKington & Presteigne Railway opened as an extension of theLeominster and Kington Railway on 9 September 1875. Therailway line commenced atTitley Junction, passed through Leen farm, toStaunton on Arrow, in front of the Rodd farm via Corton into Presteigne.[17][18] By 1929 it was possible to join one of the threesteam trains a day - each way - and make the six hour journey toLondon. The passenger service on this line ended in 1951, but a freight service continued to run every other day until the line was finally closed for good in 1961.[19]Presteign railway station was within theGreat Western Railway.
Knighton is the nearest railway station, serviced byTransport for Wales.Bus services run (Monday to Saturday) toKington with connections from there toHereford, and buses in the opposite direction to Knighton. A single daily service fromLudlow toBuilth Wells is also operated via Presteigne.
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