Exhibition panel from the ‘Pryce Jones Legacy Exhibition’ originally held at Newtown Library in May 2026, on the life and legacy of Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones (1834-1920).

The first panel introduces Pryce Jones’s origins in Newtown and explains how the town’s industrial landscape shaped the world he was born into. It highlights his birth in 1834, his family background, and his connection to social reformer Robert Owen. The panel outlines Newtown’s growth as a major centre of woollen and flannel production, driven by figures like William Pugh, whose investments in bridges, canals, and the Flannel Exchange transformed the town. It also notes the later decline of the industry and the poverty that followed. Overall, the panel sets the scene by showing how Newtown’s mix of innovation, industry, and hardship formed the environment that would influence Pryce Jones’s future achievements.