Towns in Powys tend to follow a recognisable pattern, even if the details differ.

They are usually set within a valley or on land that offers a degree of shelter. Water is often close by — a river or stream that has influenced where the settlement began.

The core is often linear. A main street runs through the town, sometimes widening into a market space, sometimes remaining narrow and continuous. Buildings line this route, rather than forming a compact centre around a square.

From this core, development extends outward, but rarely far. The edge of the town is usually clear. Beyond it, the landscape resumes without much transition.

There is little in the way of suburban spread. Where newer housing has been added, it tends to sit alongside existing structures rather than forming separate areas.

Public buildings — churches, chapels, sometimes civic structures — are present, but they do not dominate. They sit within the town rather than above it.

This gives Powys towns a particular scale. They are functional, but not expansive. Their form reflects how they have grown, rather than how they have been planned.