The Raven Inn, Welshpool
The Raven Inn, Welshpool
This inn has long been a focal point of the north-western area of Welshpool.
Trade was boosted in April 1903 with the opening of the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway, which crossed Raven Square (where the roundabout is today) to run through the back streets to a terminus near the main railway station. Passenger trains called at Raven Square Halt. Today the railway, a scenic tourist ride, starts from the terminus station nearby.
In September 1904, John (Jack) Powell and his friend Herbert Astley ended a pub crawl at the Raven Inn. They had come into town for a horse show at the Smithfield. They ran from the inn as they heard the 7.40pm train approaching, then leapt up onto the carriage balconies as the train slowly crossed Raven Square. Jack, from Castle Caereinion, fell between two carriages and died instantly.
Richard and Annie Pryce kept the Raven Inn in the early 20th century. Their teenage son George worked here too, before and after Richard’s death in 1912. Mrs Pryce continued as the licensee.
George joined the army in 1916. As a Private in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, he boarded the troop transport ship Ivernia in December 1916 to join the fighting in Egypt. The ship, a former Cunard liner, was sunk by a German submarine off Greece on New Year’s Day 1917. At least 120 died including George, who was 21 years old. He is remembered on the Mikra Memorial in Greece, and at the family grave at Christ Church, Welshpool.
Postcode: SY12 7LT View Location Map
To continue the Welshpool (Powys) in WW1 tour, turn right into Raven St. Cross and go up the hill. Cross again and descend. Turn right into Church Rd, which leads to Christ Church |