Back in November, 2004 the Llanfyllin Dolydd Building Preservation Trust took possession of Y Dolydd, the historic Union Workhouse at Llanfyllin.
The building had been stripped out and vandalised: windows were smashed or boarded up; dry rot had broken out; ceilings had collapsed; doors, floorboards, pipework and cabling had been stolen and the yards were choked with brambles.
Today Y Dolydd houses a flourishing community enterprise for arts, education, environment and heritage. There are 20 workshops and studios let to local enterprises; the new Meadows Café; a bar; a community venue; a gallery; a second-hand bookshop and a 20-bed bunkhouse as well as the only workhouse museum in Wales. Six acres of grounds are used for activities from music festivals to horse shows. Funding has come from many sources including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, the Architectural Heritage Fund and Powys County Council, while much of the maintenance and administration has been done by local volunteers.
On Saturday, 16 November a dual celebration was held at Y Dolydd. It marked the twentieth anniversary of taking on the building, bought from its previous owner, Hilary Collins, with a loan from the Architectural Heritage Fund. It also celebrated completion of two new projects. One was the total refurbishment of the bunkhouse bathroom and showers. The other was the replacement of the ceiling over the former Men’s Day Room, now the Meadows Gallery, which had been partially removed in 2008 due to dry rot. This has created a fine new room on the first floor, to be used for all kinds of displays and activities. Both projects will help to conserve energy and improve sustainability.
The work has been funded through the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, which is providing £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. Administered locally by PAVO for Powys County Council, the Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. The Gallery improvements were carried out by Smith Building and Conservation under the direction of Geraint Roberts Associates; those in the Bunkhouse by S.A. Williams kitchens and bathrooms. Both firms are based in Oswestry.
Among those attending the celebration were former Trustees of the charity; members, tenants and supporters of the Trust and councillors from the Llanfyllin Union area, together with Hilary Collins, who had bought the building in 2000 to save it from ruin. They watched a slide presentation with over 150 images of activities and restoration at Y Dolydd over the last 20 years. Guests were able to view the newly completed works as well as an exhibition of photographs and posters from events since 2004. In the new first floor gallery Arts Connection presented their own anniversary display, highlighting 30 years of community activities since their formation. Four artists’ workshops were on view as part of Llanfyllin’s Open Studios weekend.
The two exhibitions will stay on view for visitors to the historic Workhouse for the next two weeks, free of charge. They’ll be taken down for Saturday, 30 November to make way for Crefft Cymru, Y Dolydd’s Victorian Christmas Market: the first in another 20 years of exciting community events.
