Postcard from 1913.
The town was a Victorian creation and it grew around the fashionable obsession with health spas and taking the water. The railway brought people to the area in their thousands and as a result Llandrindod Wells effectively became a town of hotels.
Rock Park became the main centre after mineral springs were discovered there, one of them being the Chalybeate Spring which remains today. Apparently the health-restoring waters had a very strong purgative effect and I can only wonder quite why the Victorians would queue up to drink it on a daily basis!
Sadly, this elegant town is today more like a distressed gentlewoman. Many of the hotels are gone, some are in a sad state of repair and others are in use as council buildings. The good news is that refurbishment is under way for some and tourism is once again restoring pride in the town's eccentric splendour.
Postcard from 1917
I have some postcards of the town and wanted to get some up-to-date images of the same scenes. This proved trickier than I thought, as trees have grown up since the originals were taken and I couldn't get the same elevated viewpoint. I hope you can get some idea of the 'then and now' though!
Postcard from 1908. >>>
