12 brilliant pictures of the 44th Llandrindod Wells Victorian Festival

“More of the same next year please,” said the Friends of the Llandrindod Wells Victorian Festival at the end of this year’s event.

A slimmed down festival week saw over 50 Friends of the Festival from all over Britain, including Hull, Sheffield and Glasgow, joining in with a variety of events.

One Chinese man studying in London travelled to the spa town for the day for the festival and joined in with all the events.

Pearly queens and kings, a grand ball and a murder mystery – the 44^th Llandrindod Wells Victorian Festival had it all.

The celebration of yesteryear included exquisite costumes, grand balls, and determined suffragettes amid the Victorian architecture.

The events included a Pearly Night at the town’s Royal British Legion club, the Grand Ball at the Pavilion An Evening with the Leicestershire Dancers with a theme of fairy folk and woodland creatures, The Great Rock and Roll Swizzle – a murder mystery event and the Hound of the Baskervilles performed by Don’t Go Into The Cellar Theatre Company

During the days there were self-drive trips to The Judges Lodgings in Presteigne to discover the upstairs and downstairs life of judges, servants and felonious guests and to Hergest Croft Gardens in Kington.

Enjoying a Victorian picnic in Temple Gardens in Llandrindod Wells

There was an afternoon tea dance and an afternoon tea and soiree at the newly opened Chalybeate Tea Rooms in the Rock Park and a fun in the gardens afternoon on Temple Gardens.

Festival Chairman Anne Smith said: “A particular highlight was a trip to the Judges Lodgings in Presteigne where it was lovely to see people wandering through the rooms dressed as they would have been in its heyday.

“As ever, Gerald Dickens, a direct descendant of Charles Dickens, wowed an audience of Friends and some 30 locals at the Albert Hall, as did the one man show from Don't Go Into The Cellar with the telling of the Hound of the Baskervilles.

“The Friends enjoyed an afternoon tea dance and a soiree both accompanied by a sumptuous afternoon tea provided by The Walsh and The Chalybeate Tea Room respectively.

“The talks by David Littler and Susan Briscoe were particularly well attended.

"The Grand Ball, held in The Pavilion, was the epitomy of elegance and splendour.

"The picnic in the sensory garden on Temple Gardens was a lovely sight which caused many a passerby to stop and take a photo - including Kim, from China who was studying in London who had travelled from London that day for the Festival.

"He joined in with all our events that day.

“The whole event was brought to a close at a church service in Caebach Chapel with a chapel tea to follow.

“At a meeting at the end of the Festival the Friends were unanimous that they wanted more of the same next year.

“The Festival would like to thank all who played a part in this year's Festival.”