In Search of General Jones · 21 February 05 · Issue 1

Even the most casual visitor to Llanidloes cannot have failed to remark the tall, distinctive red brick building that stands opposite the arcaded Town Hall on Great Oak Street. Doubtless, all will have read the name of the building, The Trewythen Arms Hotel, picked out in bold proud letters, which are in such marked contrast to the boarded up windows and otherwise decaying facade of this once noble structure, an hotel no more, but rather a symbol of a towen undergoing difficult times.

Perhaps the visitor will have read the plaque upon the wall of the building that makes mention of its role in the Chartist Riot of 1839, an event which, along with the longevity of the Old Market Hall, forms Llanidloes’ main claim to fame. A visit to the town museum may have enlightened the curious to the leading events of the Riot, but what else would they learn about the building and of the man resoinsible for its construction?

In this article in PenCambria No. 1, Nick Venti reviews our knowledge of the historical record of the building and goes in search of the enigmatic General Valentine Jones