This is a view from the western side of the square, taken in October 2001. The Panteg Hotel on the left has had a chequered history, being considered too large for the small valley almost from the outset. Its recent reputation has involved various illegal activities, and its windows have been boarded more times than a 727. I thought the current tenants seemed to have most of the trouble under control, but last time I was down I noticed that the pub was shuttered again.
The rest of the square however has had somewhat of a facelift.
In 1998 the European Union gave some money for the redevelopment of the square, and the council pushed through the doors in the valley a leaflet with the following picture. Sorry about its size, but any smaller and the detail blurs. As you can see, it is drawn from a similar angle to the photograph above.
To quote directly from the leaflet;
The council has now bought properties in the Square to the side of the Panteg Inn in the block which includes the newsagents and the chip shop. It is the long term intention to knock down this whole block of properties and replace it with a landscaped area and bus bay.
The leaflet continues by giving reassurances that the two businesses will be moved, tells of a renovation grant to the YMCA, and also mentions that the police station is to be moved on to the square, and that CCTV cameras will be placed in the village.
Behind the bus-stop there is a small paved area with seating and some artwork designed by various people and organisations from the valley. Follow this link to see more of what has been done (a dozen or so photographs totalling about 800k I'm afraid - this will take about 4 minutes to load at 28k8 or 2-and-a-half minutes for an average 56k connection)
As you can see, something definitely needed to be done. The square in 1996 betrayed the usual malaise of the valley town with no major employer - there are three boarded-up shops in the photograph. On the other hand, the green shutters simply mean that the Square Hippy (as it says on the window, someone having removed the 'C') was closed Sunday afternoons. This fine establishment was moved as part of the renovation works.
The valley bends towards the North here. This view is towards the East.
Your choice of directions is
Aber clickable map