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The Town Hall in Welshpool, Montgomeryshire

Welshpool Welshpool is a town in Montgomeryshire. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy (or sinking) land'. In defiance of such an unpromising name it is a fine town which contains much Georgian architecture. A little to the south lies Powis Castle, seat of the Earl of Powis. The town was initially known as Pool or Poole but its name was changed to Welshpool in 1835 to distinguish it from Poole in Dorset. Welshpool served briefly as the capital of the principality of Powys Wenwynwyn, or South Powys, after its prince was forced to flee the traditional Welsh Royal site at Mathrafal in 1212. After 1284 Powys Wenwynwyn ceased to exist. The Long Mountain plays as a backdrop to most of Welshpool, which once served as the ultimate grounds for defence for fortresses in the times when the town was just a swampy marsh. (Read more)