Llanfair Caereinion
Llanfair Caereinion is a town in Powys, Wales. It is located 8 miles west of Welshpool on the River Banwy. It was in the historic county of Montgomeryshire. The town has a population around 1,000.
The name first appeared in 1254 as Llanveyr. By 1281/2 it was Llanveyr in Kereynon, aside from the spelling it is very similar to the form used today. It refers to St Mary's church in the commote of Caereinion.[1]
St Mary's Church was completely rebuilt in 1868. A church is said to have been founded there in the 4th century by Einion Yrth,[2] but all that survives of any older structure is a 13th century doorway. Aside from the church, only the former Wynnstay Arms Hotel may predate 1750.[1] This is due to the great fire of September 1758 which burnt down a large area of the town.[2]
The town came to be known as "Shining Llanfair" for a time, as it was one of the first places with electric street lamps in the UK. The Electric Light Society created its own electricity from a water turbine and a generator, starting from 1914. On 28 January 1950 the generator exploded and set fire, disrupting the town's power supply. Later in the 1950s it was connected to the National Grid.[2]
The parish covered a rather large area of central Montgomeryshire, centred on the town. It is a sparsely populated area, with no settlements of note other than the town itself. These boundaries are still used by the current community, which has a population around 1,800.