Machynlleth
| Machynlleth | |
|---|---|
 The Clock Tower |
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 Machynlleth
|
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| Machynlleth shown within Powys | |
| Population | 2,235 (2001) |
| OS grid reference | SH745005 |
| Community |
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| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county |
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| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MACHYNLLETH |
| Postcode district | SY20 |
| Dialling code | 01654 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | |
| Welsh Assembly | |
Machynlleth (pronounced [maˈχənɬɛθ]), sometimes referred to colloquially as Mach, is a market town and community in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire (Welsh: Sir Drefaldwyn). It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 2,147.
Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official recognition as a capital. It applied for city status in 2000 and 2002, but was unsuccessful. It is twinned with Belleville, Michigan.
Machynlleth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1937 and 1981.
There is a long history of human activity in the Machynlleth area. In the late-1990s, radiocarbon dating showed that copper mining was taking place in the Early Bronze Age (c. 2,750 years ago), within a mile of the town centre.
There are legends of a once fertile plain, the Cantre'r Gwaelod, now lost beneath the waves of Cardigan Bay.
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Wikipedia