Newtown, Powys
Newtown (Welsh: Y Drenewydd) is a new town in the county of Powys, Wales. Its population of 11,357 makes it the largest town in Powys. It lies on the River Severn in the historic county of Montgomeryshire.
Newtown
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|---|---|
 Bear Lanes Shopping Centre, Newtown | |
  Newtown | |
| Location within Powys | |
| Population | 11,357 (2011 census) |
| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWTOWN |
| Postcode district | SY16 |
| Dialling code | 01686 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament |
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Newtown lies about 8 miles (13 km) from the border with England.
At the end of the 13th century, Edward I commissioned Roger de Montgomery to construct a centre for the hamlet of Llanfair-yng-Nghedewain. Situated near a River Severn ford below the Long Bridge and close to the church of St Mary in Bettws Cedewain gave Newtown its original Welsh name. The town grew in the 18th and 19th centuries around the textile and flannel industry, accompanied by the completion of the Montgomeryshire Canal. In 1838, the town saw Wales's first Chartist demonstration.
The town has a mainline railway station on the Cambrian Line between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth. Managed and served by Transport for Wales, trains run roughly two-hourly each way.
The town also has a semi-professional football club, Newtown AFC, who are currently members of the Welsh Premier League, and a rugby club, Newtown RFC.
Newtown is twinned with:
