The Old Roundhouse - Yr Hen Garchar


Llanidloes

Built 1839; Renovated 2003-2009

The Old Jail, prior to renovation, 2003.
The Old Jail, prior to renovation, 2003.

The Setting
The Merediths, 1955. Richard, Dick, Peter, Eirys, Glyn.
The Merediths, 1955. Richard, Dick, Peter, Eirys, Glyn.
History
February 2005: External works completed. Alison with architect Charles Cowan and builder Graham Jones.
February 2005: External works completed.
Renovation

Welcome to a restored, Grade II listed cottage, a place of some importance in the history of Llanidloes. Starting life as a jail (or Roundhouse) in 1839, it ceased to be so in 1864 when a larger place was built in High Street. It then became a dwelling house until 1902, when it was taken over as the filter house of the new piped water supply to the town. It probably served this function for 15-20 years and then became the storage place for broken lampposts, slabs, street furniture and anything else of that nature needed by the Borough Council for running the town. In 1954 my father bought the building from the Council for £30, to become his “shed” – a place for sawing timber, storing “useful things” and as a meeting place for elderly men passing by on their morning constitutional walk up the Penygreen Road. Between 2003 and 2009, Alison and I have restored it with the help of some local craftsmen to what you experience today.