Powys: Farm flooded for reservoir emerges following dry spell

Buildings on a farm submerged in a reservoir have been revealed by low water levels.

The last tenants of Fferm y Fannog (Fannog Farm) left the upper Tywi valley in Powys around 1947.

The farm stood empty for decades, until the beginning of the 1970s when the Llyn Brianne reservoir was created.

It vanished beneath the water but reappear from time to time, such as during the exceptionally dry summer of 1976.

"This farm was the only building in the valley to be submerged," said Huw Thomas, who lives and works in the valley and is a frequent visitor to Llyn Brianne.

He said he had seen the ruins of Fferm y Fannog many times.

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The stone farm buildings re-emerge when the water levels are low in the Llyn Brianne reservoir

After 1976, he said, it appeared again in 1984, 1995 and in 2018.

"There was more to see in 2018," he says, "and also in 95 when you could walk around the buildings.

"This farm was the only building in the valley to be submerged and so it is good to see it standing and see how the land would have appeared before the lake was filled," he added.

Huw Thomas says this old footbridge, once used to cross a drowned river channel, also appears when water levels fall

Mr Thomas said he expects the water levels to rise once more and hopes to see the farm again in the future.

"The water has risen a little these last two or three days," he said. "It won't be long before it's hidden again.

"It does lose its shape a bit each time it reappears," he said. "Last time you could see more of the chimney and the outline of the roof."