NEWTOWN

Welsh Drenewydd new town, Powys county, historic county of Montgomeryshire (Sir Drefaldwyn), Wales, located on the River Severn 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Welshpool. In 1967 Newtown was designated the second new town in Wales, in an effort to create additional employment opportunities and check persisting rural depopulation. The town's original charter dates from 1280. To the southwest of town are the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, and the parliament hall of the medieval Welsh leader Owen Glendower was moved to Newtown in 1885. Gradual urban renewal efforts during the 1970s resulted in a considerable mixture of old and new. The 16th-century town hall was torn down and replaced with a new Georgian-style hall. Other new structures include a county library headquarters, a police centre, and residential and industrial estates. A variety of light industries have been introduced to supplement the traditional textile mills and sawmills. Pop. (1991) 10,548.