Brecon
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Coordinates: 51°56′48″N 3°23′27″W / 51.94677°N 3.39086°W
| Brecon | |
| Welsh: Aberhonddu | |
 Brecon |
|
  Brecon
Brecon shown within Wales |
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| Population | 7,901 (2001) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Community | Brecon |
| Principal area | Powys |
| Ceremonial county | Powys |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRECON |
| Postcode district | LD3 |
| Dialling code | 01874 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Brecon & Radnorshire |
| Welsh Assembly | Brecon & Radnorshire |
| List of places: UK • Wales • | |
Brecon (Welsh: Aberhonddu) is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, mid Wales, with a population of 7,901.[1] It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre. Brecon is the third largest town in Powys.
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[edit] Early history
In Roman Britain Y Gaer, Brecon (Cicucium) was established as a Roman cavalry base for the conquest of Roman Wales and Brecon was first established as a military base.
After the Dark Ages the original Welsh name of the kingdom in whose territory Brecon stands was (in modern orthography) "Brycheiniog", which later became anglicised to Brecknockshire or Breconshire, and probably derives from the personal name of the Irish Brychan, the eponymous founder of the kingdom. The English name of Brecon town may also be derived from Brychan.
The Welsh name, Aberhonddu, means "mouth of the Honddu". It is derived from the River Honddu, which meets the River Usk near the town centre, a short distance away from the River Tarrell which enters the Usk a few hundred metres upstream.
Before the building of the bridge over the Usk, Brecon was one of the few places where the river could be forded.
[edit] Coming of the Normans
The confluence of the Honddu and the River Usk made for a valuable defensive position for the Norman castle [2] which overlooks the town, built by Bernard de Neufmarche in the late 11th century.[3]
[edit] Priory and cathedral
Less than a mile from the castle stands Brecon Cathedral, a fairly modest building compared to many cathedrals. The role of Cathedral is a fairly recent one, and was bestowed upon the church in 1923 with the formation of the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon from what was previously the Archdeaconry of Brecon - a part of the diocese of St David's.
[edit] Present day Brecon
Today Brecon is a thriving community, and is popular as a holiday destination, being on the northern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, affording among the best views of the Brecon Beacons themselves, a range of hills, including Pen-y-Fan, the highest point in southern Britain at 886m.
August sees an annual Brecon Jazz Festival. Concerts are held in both open air and indoor venues, including the town's market hall and the recently opened 400-seat Theatr Brycheiniog.
Brecon's Speakers Club Brecon Speakers Club opened in January 2008.
[edit] Military town
The east end of town also has two military establishments:
- Dering Lines, home to the Infantry Battle School (formerly Infantry Training Centre Wales),[4] where Infantry Officers and Other Ranks are trained, and
- The Barracks, home to 160th (Wales) Brigade.
Eight miles to the west of Brecon is Sennybridge Training Area, an important training facility for the British Army.[5]
[edit] Cattle market
The west end of Brecon has a small industrial area, and recent years have seen the cattle market moved from the centre of the town to this area, with markets held several times a week.
[edit] Education
Brecon has many primary schools, with a secondary school and further education college (Coleg Powys) on the northern edge of the town. Due to Brecon being a rural area, bus trips of over an hour are not uncommon for pupils making their way to school. The town is also home to Christ College, a private boarding and day school with a strong academic, sporting and musical tradition.
[edit] Transport
Brecon is located near where the east-west A40 (Monmouth-Carmarthen-Fishguard) meets the north-south A470 (Cardiff-Merthyr Tydfil-Llandudno). The nearest airport is Cardiff Airport.
[edit] Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal runs for 35 miles between Brecon and Cwmbran, Pontnewydd. It then continues to Newport, the towing path being the line of communication and the canal being disjointed by obstructions and road crossings. The canal was built between 1797 and 1812 to link Brecon with Newport and the Severn Estuary.
The canal in Brecon was re-developed in the 1990s and is now the site of two mooring basins and the Theatr Brycheiniog.
[edit] Former railways
The Neath and Brecon Railway reached Brecon in 1867, terminating at Free Street. By this point, Brecon already had two other railway stations:
- Watton - from 1 May 1863 when the Brecon and Merthyr Railway to Merthyr Tydfil was opened for traffic
- Mount Street - in September 1864, with Llanidloes by the Mid Wales Railway which linked to the Midland Railway at Talyllyn Junction. The three companies consolidated their stations at a newly rebuilt Free Street Joint Station from 1871.[6]
Through services from the Midlands ceased in 1930, while services to Neath ended in October 1962.
[edit] Town twinning
[edit] Points of interest
- Brecon Beacons and National Park Visitor Centre (also known as the Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre)
- Brecon Cathedral, the seat of the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon
- St. Mary's Church
- Brecon Jazz Festival
- Brecknock Museum
- South Wales Borderers Museum
- Theatr Brycheiniog (Brecon Theatre)
- Christ College, Brecon
[edit] Notable residents
- Andy Powell (rugby player) - Welsh Rugby Internationals Number Eight
- Roger Glover - Deep Purple
- Sarah Siddons - actress
- Thomas Coke - the first Methodist Bishop, who previously had served as Mayor of Brecon in 1772
- Medicine Head's Peter Hope-Evans was born in Brecon.
[edit] Culture
- Brecon hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1889.
[edit] Additional photographs
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[edit] Bibliography
- Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 9780708319536.
[edit] References
- ^ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Powys Retrieved 2009-11-22
- ^ Castles of Wales
- ^ Davies (2008), pg80.
- ^ Brecon
- ^ Welcome to the new British Army Website - British Army Website
- ^ Victorian Brecon - railway stations
