David Pugh Collection

David Pugh was, no doubt, one of Newtown’s greatest chroniclers. Founder of The Newtonian, and editor of numerous publications on behalf of Newtown Local History Group, the legacy of his rich knowledge about the history of Newtown has lived on.

He was brought up above his parents’ cafe, The Copper Kettle, on High Street. After working away from Newtown for some years, first as a lecturer at the BBC engineering college near Evesham and then with the local radio station in Stoke-on-Trent, he returned to Newtown, in 1982 to take up a post as Technical Manager at Theatr Hafren, based in Coleg Powys, where he worked for 20 years.

David was a keen historian who was passionate about passing on the history, stories and knowledge of Newtown and its people to future generations. He gave guided tours around the town, and talks on architectural features on the buildings and their history. As a volunteer at the Newtown Textile Museum he was very much aware of the importance of the museum to Newtown’s industrial heritage and to the continuing development of the town, and when the Newtown Textile Museum reopened he was appointed curator there. He also served as Trustee of the Powysland Club and made an invaluable contribution to the work of Newtown and District Civic Society. From 1994–1996 he served as Mayor for Newtown.

His interests were wide ranging, from electronics, to music, and the arts in general. He was a keen bandsman and a member of Newtown Silver Band, and became a great friend of Mid Wales Opera, depositing archive copies of videos at the National Library of Wales. As a historian, he understood the importance of searchable public records and as a keen photographer, David recorded the changing face of Newtown over decades, taking thousands of photographs himself, and collecting many more through his historical research.