Llaw y glyn lies at the head of the wooded valley of the River Trannon between the villages of Trefeglwys and Staylittle.

It was​ here that the very first Board School in the old county of Montgomeryshire was opened in 1873. The community at the time the school opened was almost exclusively Welsh speaking and mainly agricultural though there were lead mines nearby. The valley sides had much oak wood cover and the farms were largely situated above. For the children of farmers, farm labourers, lead miners and quarrymen the school offered full-time education for the first time. In 1912 the school had 82 pupils but by 1947 the number had dropped to 19.

With the closure of the mines at Van and the decline in agriculture, whole families had moved away. Like many rural schools in Powys, Llawryglyn School's wartime experience was that of playing host to evacuees. Finally after 100 years of education in the valley the school closed on July 13th 1972.

The first chapel was the building now called Ivy Cottage being built in 1844. The little chapel eventually became too small and the present chapel was built and opened in 1872. The Chapel is in the heart of this pretty village. When the doors are open in summer, you can hear the stream, birdsong and the baaing of lambs. Green hills and woodland encircle the village.

The Woodland Trust owns Coed Gwernafon, which is one of an isolated cluster of 8 blocks of valley side ancient woodland around the headwater valleys of the River Trannon immediately west of the village. Llawryglyn is steeped in history and has a very strong village community spirit. One of its buildings, "The Smithy", has been re-erected as a working one, and a blacksmith can be watched shaping horseshoes and farm tools at The Welsh Folk Museum at St. Fagan's in Cardiff.