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Brecon

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Brecon
Brecon, with St. Mary's church
Population7,901 (2001)
OS grid referenceSO045285
Community
  • Brecon
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBRECON
Postcode districtLD3
Dialling code01874
PoliceDyfed-Powys
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Powys

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.

History

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 yards upstream.

Before the building of the bridge over the Usk, Brecon was one of the few places where the river could be forded.

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]

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.

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 2,907 feet (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.

Military town

The east end of town also has two military establishments:

Eight miles to the west of Brecon is Sennybridge Training Area, an important training facility for the British Army.[5]

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.

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.

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.

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal basin at Brecon, the northern starting point of the Taff Trail.

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal runs for 35 miles between Brecon and Pontnewydd, Cwmbran. 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 redeveloped in the 1990s and is now the site of two mooring basins and the Theatr Brycheiniog.

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:

Through services from the Midlands ceased in 1930, while services to Merthyr ended in 1958, to Newport in April 1962 and to Neath in October, 1962. Therefore, Brecon lost all its train services prior to the notorious "Beeching Axe".

Town twinning

Points of interest

Notable people

See Category:People from Brecon

Culture

Additional photographs

  • Brecon shopping centre
    Brecon shopping centre

Bibliography

  • Davies, John (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 9780708319536. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

References

  1. ^ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Powys Retrieved 2009-11-22
  2. ^ Castles of Wales
  3. ^ Davies (2008), pg80.
  4. ^ Brecon
  5. ^ Welcome to the new British Army Website - British Army Website
  6. ^ Victorian Brecon - railway stations
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