What makes a place special? /Beth sy’n gwneud yn lle arbennig?
Discovering the character of towns / Darganfod y cymeriad trefi

Presentations and resources from the Welshpool event (21 October)
The seminar explored ways of studying towns in order to understand their character and define the ways in which different parts of a place are distinctive. This approach goes beyond a narrow focus on conservation areas to look at how towns as a whole have grown and changed – and at ways in which they can be managed now and for the future. The centrepiece of the event was a workshop which analysed the distinctiveness of character areas within Newtown.

Report: From intuition to analysis (pdf: 800kb) Extracted from About Wales, this article sets the characterisation workshop in context. It explains how the workshop was set up and suggests some of the generic questions that can be posed about town and streetscapes. It prompts discussion about the key elements of urban character and suggests questions that can be asked of the resources we have made available below.

The workshop summary (below in pdf and Powerpoint format) reflects the raw output of the session rather than a mature analysis of the study areas.

Urban characterisation presentation (Judith Alfrey/pdf)

Introductory presentation to characterisation exercise (pdf)

Worksheets: Newtown characterisation exercise (pdf)

Reporting forms: characterisation exercise (pdf)

Workshop summary slides (pdf)

Workshop summary slides (ppt)

Image collections

Sycamore Drive

Most of this development dates from 1980 on; some is very recent.

Google Maps link

Trehafren Estate

Social housing built for the expanding new town in the 1970s

Google Maps link

Garthowen Estate

Built immediately post World War 2 to standards based on the Garden Village

Google Maps link

Penygloddfa

An industrial suburb focused on weaving, which developed N of the town centre in the 1830s as a centre for handloom weaving

Commercial Street |The Crescent | Union Street | Bryn St

Google Maps link

Flyer (pdf) | Taflen wybodaeth (pdf) | booking form/ffurflen archebu (Ms Word)

In partnership with Cadw, Powys County Council, People's Collection, Welshpool Town Council