Glascwm Community Council – About Us.

There are currently 735 Town and Community Councils in Wales representing the tier of government closest to the people. Each Council is made up of elected members, or in some cases co-opted members. Until 1974 Wales was divided into Civil Parishes. These were abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 and Wales was then divided entirely into communities. In Wales there are approximately 8000 community and town councillors.

Glascwm Community Council covers a central part of Radnorshire. Within its boundary are the villages and hamlets of Hundred House, Glascwm, Cregrina, Franksbridge, Llansantffraed-in-Elwel and Bettws Disserth. The Community Council is comprised of 8 elected and co-opted Councillors who carry out their duties on an entirely voluntary basis. Meetings are usually held once a month on the third Wednesday in Hundred House Hall and begin at 8pm. All members of the community are welcome to attend.

Glascwm village is a parish of Radnorshire 7 ½ miles south west of New Radnor and 9 miles east of Builth Wells. St David’s church, rebuilt during the 13th Century is situated within the village. It is said to have been founded by the saint himself as a centre of Celtic Christianity in the 6th Century. The church hosts a “magic portable bell” which belonged to St David and was called Bangu. The story told by Giraldus Cambrensis states that a woman secretly sent this bell to her husband to secure his release from prison in Rhayader castle but the keepers of the castle refused to set him free and forcibly seized and kept the bell “and in the same night by divine vengeance the whole town except thee wall the bell was hung on was consumed by fire.

The church also has a memorial to two German airmen killed on the 25/26th April 1942 when their Junkers Ju 88 was shot down by a fighter from Shropshire. The plane came down on Gwaenceste Hill where the two aircrew perished although some crew did bail out but were rounded up by police and locals. The remains of the German aircrew were brought down to a barn at Llanhalo farm and then a military funeral was held for them in Glascwm church within a few days. At a later date they were interred at the German war cemetery at Cannock Chase.

Glascwm did lie on an important Drovers route through central Wales and at one time hosted no less than 4 Drovers Arms. 200m west of the church lies the remains of Tygwyn Mill which was constructed in the early 18Th Century but fell into ruin in the 19th Century. Some walls are still visible and a large mill pond survives largely intact. The Yatt is a 17th Century gentry house and has its own Baptist burial ground which was used for burials until 1876 for the Lewis and Beavan families who live there.

The Old School building was completed in December 1900 and was opened on the 10th June 1901 with 15 children attending. It remained open until 30th November 1945, housing evacuees from Birmingham in the same year, then in 1947 it reopened as a Youth Hostel and remained so for the next 50 years. There is also a village hall in the centre of Glascwm which was opened in 1938/39 and this too was used to house evacuees during world war two.

Hundred House

Hundred House runs one of the few east to west turnpike roads (now the A481) and cuts across the river Edw. It is probably due to these routes used for communication that it was deemed to be strategically important by both Roman and Anglo-Norman Lords. The Mount was probably the first Motte and Bailey Castle built by Anglo-Normans at Hundred House. It was attacked on numerous occasions by the Welsh before being destroyed in 1196. Colwyn Castle was built after this.

The earthworks at Colwyn Castle, half a mile beyond Hundred House reveal a Roman Fort with a latter Motte and Bailey Castle. Although the date of its first construction is unknown stone castle was erected on the  mound for the De Tony family in 1240. Most of the deep wide moat which encircled the keep remains and part of the banks and outer walls may also be seen showing the large area occupied.

The Village Hall, also known as the James Vaughan Memorial Hall was opened in 1914 and named after the well liked local young squire who died in an accident involving horses. The land given to build the hall was donated to the community by Hugh Vaughan Vaughan in the same year and locals gave time, money and labour to build it. There is also an old Corn Mill situated in Hundred House. It is said to have been last used for grinding in 1957. The wheel is in a covered wheel house and it is part of a linear range of 18th Century buildings which include a corn drying kiln. It was the last working mill in the area to close down.

Hundred House Inn was once a Drovers Inn but is now a traditional pub, well supported by the local community with a lounge, bar, pool room, restaurant and beer garden. It is very welcoming with good food and ales it is home to domino, darts and pool teams.

Hundred House show is held annually on the first weekend in September along with the sheepdog trials. It is a wonderful show with classes for horses, dogs, sheep, horticulture, produce, children races and classes and a great vintage machinery demonstration alongside the numerous side shows and various attractions including in the past a ladies tug of war event and YFC displays.

Llansantffraed-in-Elvel

Llansantffraed-in-Elwel is situated four and a half miles north east of Builth Wells on Perthi Common. St Bridget’s Church, in the Colwyn Benefice stands within its churchyard which is considered pre-Norman because of its circular shape and the almost complete ring of fourteen ancient yews that surround the church. The largest yew is a 7m male tree with a pronounced mound around its base. The church dates back to the 1200’s but it was demolished in 1895 and rebuilt.  The font may be from the 15th Century

There is a story told by Giraldus Cambrensis that a Cistercian nunnery was founded at Llansantffraed before 1176 by an early Abbot in Strata Marcella. After founding the nunnery, Giraldus reports that he seduced one of the nuns, eloped with her, repented and then returned to his abbey.

There was also once a small school present here between 1876 and 1947. Records show that some of the reasons for absence in this period included scarlet fever and diphtheria and numbers dipped during 1917 when there was a scarcity of manual labour due to men in the area being in the first world war.

Bettws Disserth

The focus of Bettws Disserth is the small church of Victorian Structure on the west bank of the River Edw. Seven miles north east of Builth Wells and about one and a half miles north of Hundred House. St Mary’s church was rebuilt in 1882 but has a medieval foundation with the first documented reference to it as “The Bettus” in 1546. It was probably a chapel-of-ease but its only surviving feature from its predecessor is the perpendicular font.

Bettw Mill was once a post medieval corn mill situated south east of Bettws Church. It sits on the bank of the River Edw near to the village of Franksbridge. In 1830 it was one of nine working mills on the river Edw but by 1939 the only one left working was in Hundred House.

There is a mention of an old Christmas Day custom for the men of both Bettws Disserth and Glascwm parishes to play “football”. The churches which are four miles apart formed the goals with more than 40 players taking part on either side.ld war.

Cregrina

Six and a half miles east of Builth Wells is Cregrina, a small village situated on the banks of the River Edw. Its name is translated as “Rock of Muruna” It features Penarth Mount which comprises of the remains of a 15ft motte and ditch dating to the medieval period (1066-1540 AD). It probably hosted a timber castle although little is known of its history.

St David’s Church which was part of the ancient and important estate of St David and made up of seven churches in the area is perched in a polygonal shaped churchyard with a sheer fall to the Edw. It is largely a 13th Century building with a Norman font. It is mentioned in text as early as 1291 and the name is believed to be of Goidelic origin, connected with a St Runna (Ceryg Runa / Cregrina) It has a car park on the site of the old hall with a beautiful mural of the village children created by local glass artist Jody McPartlin of Stonefield Glass.

Franksbridge

Franksbridge village is located on the river Edw seven miles south east of Llandrindod Wells, sited on the eastern slopes of the valley. Like all the villages in the community it lay on one of the Drovers routes into England. In 1839 tithe maps depicted three houses and a chapel and it seems likely that its development during the post medieval era resulted from the bridge across the Edw acting as a focal point.

Frankbridge Baptist Chapel was first built in 1835 and then rebuilt in 1909 with a tea room being added later. It is a red brick chapel across the road from its graveyard. For over one hundred years it has supported an active Sunday School which currently meets monthly.

Franksbridge CP School was first opened on 29th July 1878 with the original building being redesigned in 1965. It is a small rural school standing in attractive grounds with a community play area, pavilion and natural area containing a pond. It has two classes accommodating children from ages 4-7 and 7-11 and has great support from families and the local community.

Across the road from the school is Werndrydd Nature Reserve, managed by the Wildlife Trust. It is a wetland habitat hosting a wide variety of botanical interests including marsh cinquefoil, ragged robin and marsh violet. It is accessed via a kissing gate from the road and has a boardwalk crossing the wetland areas.

Edw Community Play area was set up in July 2011 with additional equipment being installed in 2013 due to a lottery grant. It is a wonderful facility for the area.