Tywyn and District History Society Forum

At the society's meeting on Monday 15th September the subject was Robert Owen, the great social reformer, his connections with Newtown and the Welsh flannel textile industry. As an introduction Quentin Deakin, Secretary, gave a short illustrated overview, to preview these themes and the society's outing to Newtown later that week. He emphasised that flannel manufacture was carried out across north mid Wales, in and around the small towns of Meirionnydd and Montgomeryshire in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the era of Owen. Speaking via Zoom from Newtown, Rex Shayler, Chairman of the Robert Owen museum, spoke about Owen's childhood in Newtown and the social reformer's importance in improving the working and living conditions of factory workers, especially children. On Thursday 18th September members travelled by train to visit Newtown's two fine museums, the second being the Textile Museum. Rex welcomed the group at the Owen museum, which has a comprehensive display of artefacts, pictures and documents on the reformer's industrial and social enterprises, national and international, providing an excellent insight into his forward-looking thinking. On their way to the Textile Museum, just north of the River Severn in the well preserved Penyglodfa district, a fine example of early Victorian planning and architecture, they visited the beautiful ironwork memorial around the burial plot of Owen and enjoyed views of more of the fine old buildings of the town from the bridge. At the Textile museum another warm welcome awaited them to four floors of varied exhibits in the former flannel weaving mill, holding interest for the rest of the afternoon. It was good to see a modern weaver in action on a traditional loom. Thanks were expressed to staff and volunteers at both museums; chairperson Hilary Harrison said the society would be making donations to both. The success of the trip was helped, not only by the weather, but also by the minute-perfect punctuality of the train service and quality of the dining in the town centre.