The abundance of cairns and standing stones bears witness that man inhabited the area several thousand years BCE.
An important hoard of gold jewellery dating from 1st-2nd centuries AD was found in 1899 in the vicinity of the town.
Known as the Rhayader Hoard, it is now in the Roman-British collection of the British Museum.

Rhayader has always been a natural stopping point for travellers - the Romans had a stop-over camp in the Elan Valley, Monks travelled between the Abbeys of Strata Florida and Abbeycwmhir and drovers headed to the lucrative markets with their livestock.
It wasn't until the 12th Century that a documented history of the town began with the building of Rhayader Castle in 1177.
Little remains today, with the exception of a dry moat that can be seen from Wauncapel Park.

One of the oldest buildings in Rhayader is the Old Swan, which stands on the corner of West and South Streets Rhayader.
The original building was mentioned in 1676 as being one of the two inns in Rhayader at that date.
Some changes were made in 1683, including the rebuilding of the three chimney stacks, and this date is carved into the old timbers inside the building.

In the 19th Century, turnpike roads were only passable on payment of extortionate tolls, imposing additional burdens on already poor communities.
This led to the Rebecca Riots across South and Mid Wales from 1839–1842, with no less than six of Rhayader's tollgates being demolished with impunity by local farmers dressed as women.
The actions of these 'Rebeccaites' led to a Commission of Inquiry being set up, and most of Rebecca's grievances were righted two years later.

In the 1890s the rapidly expanding city of Birmingham, 70 miles east, viewed the nearby Elan Valley as the ideal source of clean, safe water.
This was to change the face of Rhayader forever, bringing thousands of workers involved in building this massive complex of dams and reservoirs to the area.
A new railway was built connecting this huge area with the main network in Rhayader, and the construction of a new village to house the workers was built on the banks of the River Elan.
Work started in 1894 and the scheme was officially opened in 1904 by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
The abundance of cairns and standing stones bears witness that man inhabited the area several thousand years BCE. An important hoard of gold jewellery dating from 1st-2nd centuries AD was found in 1899 in the vicinity of the town. Known as the Rhayader Hoard, it is now in the Roman-British collection of the British Museum.
Rhayader has always been a natural stopping point for travellers - the Romans had a stop-over camp in the Elan Valley, Monks travelled between the Abbeys of Strata Florida and Abbeycwmhir and drovers headed to the lucrative markets with their livestock. It wasn't until the 12th Century that a documented history of the town began with the building of Rhayader Castle in 1177. Little remains today, with the exception of a dry moat that can be seen from Wauncapel Park.
One of the oldest buildings in Rhayader is the Old Swan, which stands on the corner of West and South Streets Rhayader. The original building was mentioned in 1676 as being one of the two inns in Rhayader at that date. Some changes were made in 1683, including the rebuilding of the three chimney stacks, and this date is carved into the old timbers inside the building.
In the 19th Century, turnpike roads were only passable on payment of extortionate tolls, imposing additional burdens on already poor communities. This led to the Rebecca Riots across South and Mid Wales from 1839–1842, with no less than six of Rhayader's tollgates being demolished with impunity by local farmers dressed as women. The actions of these 'Rebeccaites' led to a Commission of Inquiry being set up, and most of Rebecca's grievances were righted two years later.
In the 1890s the rapidly expanding city of Birmingham, 70 miles east, viewed the nearby Elan Valley as the ideal source of clean, safe water. This was to change the face of Rhayader forever, bringing thousands of workers involved in building this massive complex of dams and reservoirs to the area. A new railway was built connecting this huge area with the main network in Rhayader, and the construction of a new village to house the workers was built on the banks of the River Elan. Work started in 1894 and the scheme was officially opened in 1904 by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
Rhayader