A Changing Village

The substantial village of Caersws lies a few miles west of Newtown in Mid-Wales. Its main war memorial is a fine example of a Celtic (or Wheel) cross so common throughout the Principality. It stands in a prominent position at the cross-roads in the centre of the village next to what was formerly the Anglican church but has now closed and been successfully converted to a home.

In fact until relatively recently Caersws boasted not only the church, but also Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian chapels. Of these, only the Presbyterian chapel is still in use though the Methodist congregation have in recent months begun to meet regularly in Caersws’s striking village hall. Their chapel currently stands empty and the Baptist chapel is in the process of being converted to a dwelling. The village hall is described in ‘The Buildings of Powys’ by Scourfield and Haslam as a “curious affair”. It dates back to 1902 and its front, facing the road. Is a brick gable in the Dutch style with two low projections topped by domed roofs shaped in lead. The hall has become the village’s main communal centre and has also the repository for the memorial Rolls of Honour which once had pride of place in the church and chapels. First to be moved to the village hall was that of the church. It is a rather austere listing in a black wooden frame surmounted by a small cross and is dated 1934 (relatively late for a war memorial). The vicar at the time was the Rev’d WD Evans and it contains the unusual quote: “The men were very good unto us and we were not hurt … They were a wall unto us both by day and night” from the 1st Book of Samuel 25;16. More recently, the Roll of Honour from the Baptist chapel has also been moved to the village hall. It is designed with somewhat more of a flourish, the names inscribed in elegant calligraphy on a rolled scroll. Thirty seven men served in the Great War and six of them did not return.

The closure of small churches and chapels is becoming more prevalent throughout the country and with it comes the question of what to do with their war memorials. At one time, they may have just quietly disappeared but a growing sense of pride and of their importance to a community means new homes are being sought for them. The local village hall seems an entirely appropriate option and somewhere they can be displayed prominently and viewed by all sections of the community.