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34-689: The Infantry Battle School was established at Brecon in 1939, at the start of the Second World War . The Parachute Regiment formed a battle camp there in 1961, which was absorbed by the Tactical Training Wing of the School of Infantry in 1976. The school was further redeveloped in 1995. A sub-unit of the Royal Gurkha Rifles , Gurkha Wing (Mandalay), is tasked with providing realistic OPFOR training for those at

68-424: A secondary school and further education college (Brecon Beacons College) on the northern edge of the town. The secondary school, known as Brecon High School, was formed from separate boys' and girls' grammar schools ('county schools') and Brecon Secondary Modern School, after comprehensive education was introduced into Breconshire in the early 1970s. The town is home to an independent school, Christ College , which

102-471: A cost of £2,000. The tower has eight bells which have been rung since 1750, the heaviest of which weighs 810 kg (16 long hundredweight). They were cast by Rudhall of Gloucester . In March 2007 the bells were removed from the church tower for refurbishment. When the priory was elevated to the status of a cathedral, St Mary's became the parish church. It is a Grade II* listed building . The Church of St David , referred to locally as Llanfaes Church,

136-504: 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 Davids . Saint Mary's Church began as a chapel of ease to the priory but most of the building is dated to later medieval times. The West Tower, some 27 m (90 ft) high, was built in 1510 by Edward, Duke of Buckingham at

170-648: Is based at Brecon Guildhall on the High Street. The town council elects a mayor annually. In May 2018 it elected its first mixed race mayor, local hotelier Emmanuel (Manny) Trailor. In 2010 the Town Council installed a plaque to the slave-trader Captain Thomas Phillips captain of the Hannibal slave ship. During the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests the plaque was removed and thrown into

204-715: The Norman castle which overlooks the town, built by Bernard de Neufmarche in the late 11th century. Gerald of Wales came and made some speeches in 1188 to recruit men to go to the Crusades . Brecon's town walls were constructed by Humphrey de Bohun after 1240. The walls were built of cobble, with four gatehouses and was protected by ten semi-circular bastions . In 1400 the Welsh prince Owain Glyndŵr rose in rebellion against English rule, and in response in 1404, 100 marks

238-659: The Severn Estuary . The canalside in Brecon was redeveloped in the 1990s and is now the site of two mooring basins and Theatr Brycheiniog . The bridge carries the B4601 across the River Usk. A plaque on a house wall adjacent to the eastern end of the bridge records that the present bridge was built in 1563 to replace a medieval bridge destroyed by floods in 1535. It was repaired in 1772 and widened in 1794 by Thomas Edwards,

272-536: The disestablishment of the Church in Wales in 1920 and the creation of the diocese in 1923. Because of the characteristic round shape of its churchyard, the cathedral is thought to be on the site of an earlier Celtic church , of which no trace remains. A new church, dedicated to St. John , was built on the orders of Bernard de Neufmarché , the Norman knight who conquered the kingdom of Brycheiniog in 1093. He gave

306-511: The manorial rights to the borough, oversaw the town's market and fairs, and ran elections for the borough's member of parliament . In 1776 a separate body of improvement commissioners was established to supply the town with water and pave and light the streets. The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , which standarised how most boroughs operated across

340-707: The 331m high Pen-y-crug to its northwest and 231m high Slwch Tump to the east. Both are crowned by Iron Age hillforts. The modern administrative community includes the town of Brecon on the north bank of the Usk together with the smaller settlement of Llanfaes on its southern bank. Llanfaes is built largely on the floodplain of the Usk and the Tarell; embankments and walls protect parts of both Brecon and Llanfaes from this risk. There are two tiers of local government covering Brecon, at community (town) and county level: Brecon Town Council and Powys County Council . The town council

374-675: The Brecon line had gone missing. Brecon is twinned with: Brecon Cathedral Brecon Cathedral ( Welsh : Eglwys Gadeiriol Aberhonddu ), in the town of Brecon , Powys , is the cathedral of the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon in the Church in Wales and seat of the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon . Previously the church of Brecon Priory and then the Parish Church of St John the Evangelist, it became Brecon Cathedral following

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408-714: 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 Tarell which enters the Usk a few hundred metres upstream. After the Dark Ages the original Welsh name of the kingdom in whose territory Brecon stands was (in modern orthography) " Brycheiniog ", which was later anglicised to Brecknock or Brecon, and probably derives from Brychan ,

442-612: The IBS. Courses run at the Infantry Battle School: 51°56′32″N 3°21′56″W  /  51.9423°N 3.36555°W  / 51.9423; -3.36555 Brecon Brecon ( / ˈ b r ɛ k ən / ; Welsh : Aberhonddu ; pronounced [ˌabɛrˈhɔnði] ), archaically known as Brecknock , is a market town in Powys , mid Wales . In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001

476-464: The Prior was pensioned off, and the priory church became the parish church. Some of the surrounding buildings were adapted for secular use; and others, such as the cloisters , were left to decay and later demolished. By the 19th century, the church was in poor repair and only the nave was in use. Some restoration took place in 1836, but major renovation of the church did not start until the 1860s. The tower

510-534: The River Usk. Following the protests the Council passed two resolutions on 20 September 2020 to display the plaque in the local museum, Y Gaer, and to request that it is displayed as part of a suitable exhibit detailing the wider context, without being restored. It was also resolved unanimously that a working group is established to consider whether a new plaque, new work of art, or loaned artwork should be commissioned, and where any new piece should be located. Brecon

544-485: The Welsh pretender Richmond (the future Henry VII), and declares: O, let me think on Hastings and be gone To Brecknock, while my fearful head is on! A priory was dissolved in 1538, and Brecon's Dominican Friary of St Nicholas was suppressed in August of the same year. About 250 m (270 yd) north of the castle stands Brecon Cathedral , a fairly modest building compared to many cathedrals. The role of cathedral

578-547: The annual 4-day weekend Brecon Baroque Music Festival, organised by leading violinist Rachel Podger . Idris Davies put "the pink bells of Brecon" in his poem published as XV in Gwalia Deserta (by T. S. Eliot ). This was copied in "Quite Early One Morning" by Dylan Thomas , put to music by Pete Seeger as the song " The Bells of Rhymney ", then recorded by the Byrds where it became known to millions although by then

612-460: The church to one of his followers, Roger, a monk from Battle Abbey , who founded a priory on the site as a daughter house of Battle. The first prior at Brecon was Walter, another monk from Battle. Bernard de Neufmarché also endowed the priory with lands, rights and tithes from the surrounding area, and, after his death, it passed to the Earls of Hereford , so giving it greater prosperity. The church

646-634: The complete line starting on 21 September 1864. The Midland Railway Company (MR) took over the HH&;BR from 1 October 1869, leasing the line by an Act of 30 July 1874 and absorbing the HH&BR in 1876. The MR was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) on 1 January 1923. Passenger services to Merthyr ended in 1958, Neath in October 1962 and Newport in December 1962. In 1962

680-505: The country. The improvement commissioners were abolished in 1850 when their functions were taken over by the borough council. The borough was abolished in 1974, with its area instead becoming a community called Brecon within the larger Borough of Brecknock in the new county of Powys . The former borough council's functions therefore passed to Brecknock Borough Council, which was in turn abolished in 1996 and its functions passed to Powys County Council. Brecon has primary schools , with

714-429: The eponymous founder of the kingdom. Before the building of the bridge over the Usk, Brecon was one of the few places where the river could be forded . In Roman Britain Y Gaer ( Cicucium ) was established as a Roman cavalry base for the conquest of Roman Wales and Brecon was first established as a military base. The confluence of the River Honddu and the River Usk made for a valuable defensive position for

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748-599: The important line to Hereford closed. Therefore, Brecon lost all its train services before the 1963 Reshaping of British Railways report (often referred to as the Beeching Axe ) was implemented. Brecon hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1889. August sees the annual Brecon Jazz Festival . Concerts are held in both open air and indoor venues, including the town's market hall and the 400-seat Theatr Brycheiniog , which opened in 1997. October sees

782-499: The son of William Edwards of Eglwysilan . It had stone parapets until the 1970s when the present deck was superimposed on the old structure. The bridge was painted by J. M. W. Turner c.1769. The Neath and Brecon Railway reached Brecon in 1867, terminating at Free Street . By this point, Brecon already had two other railway stations: The Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway was opened gradually from Hereford towards Brecon. The first section opened in 1862, with passenger services on

816-406: The town centre with the suburbs, operating at a roughly-hourly frequency. The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal runs for 35 miles (56 km) between Brecon and Pontnewydd , Cwmbran . It then continues to Newport , the towpath 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

850-731: Was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Brecknockshire (Breconshire); although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of the County of Powys, it remains an important local centre. Brecon is the third-largest town in Powys, after Newtown and Ystradgynlais . It lies north of the Brecon Beacons mountain range, but is just within the Brecon Beacons National Park . The Welsh name, Aberhonddu, means "mouth of

884-484: Was an ancient borough . Its date of becoming a borough is unknown, but it was described as having burgesses in 1100 and its first known charter was issued in 1276. Until 1536, the town formed part of the wider Lordship of Brecknock , a marcher lordship . In 1536 the new county of Brecknockshire was created, with Brecon as its county town. The borough of Brecon's responsibilities were originally primarily judicial, holding various courts. The borough council also owned

918-465: Was built in 1851 at a cost of £1,000. The east end of town has two military establishments: Approximately 9 miles (14 km) to the west of Brecon is Sennybridge Training Area , an important training facility for the British Army . The town sits within the Usk valley at the point where the Honddu and Tarell rivers join it from north and south respectively. Two low hills overlook the town,

952-653: Was founded in 1541. The junction of the east–west A40 ( London - Monmouth - Carmarthen - Fishguard ) and the north–south A470 ( Cardiff - Merthyr Tydfil - Llandudno ) is on the east side of Brecon town centre. The nearest airport is Cardiff Airport . The town's primary public transport hub is the Brecon Interchange at the B4601 Heol Gouesnou, served mainly by the long-distance T4, T6 and T14 routes operated by TrawsCymru . Local services 40A and 40B, operated by Stagecoach South Wales , connect

986-418: Was probably founded in the early sixteenth century. The first parish priest, Maurice Thomas, was installed there by John Blaxton, Archdeacon of Brecon in 1555. The name is derived from the Welsh – Llandewi yn y Maes – which translates as 'St David's in the field'. Plough Lane Chapel , also known as Plough United Reformed Church, is a Grade II* listed building . The present building dates back to 1841 and

1020-719: Was re-modelled by Owen Morris Roberts. After the Reformation, some Breconshire families such as the Havards, the Gunters and the Powells persisted with Catholicism despite its suppression. In the 18th Century a Catholic Mass house in Watergate was active, and Rev John Williams was the local Catholic priest from 1788 to 1815. The present parish priest is Rev Father Jimmy Sebastian Pulickakunnel MCBS since 2012. The Watergate house

1054-668: Was rebuilt and extended in the Gothic style in about 1215, during the reign of King John . In the Middle Ages , the church was known as the church of Holy Rood or Holy Cross, because it owned a great "golden rood " which was an object of pilgrimage and veneration until it was destroyed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. The smoke-blackened roof of its hall was built between 1237 and 1267. In 1538

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1088-545: Was sold in 1805, becoming the current Watergate Baptist Chapel, and property purchased as the priest's residence and a chapel between Wheat Street and the current St Michael Street, including the "Three Cocks Inn"; about this time Catholic parish records began again. The normal round of bishop's visitations and confirmations resumed in the 1830s. In 1832 most civil liberties were restored to Catholics and they became able to practise their faith more openly. A simple Gothic church, dedicated to St Michael and designed by Charles Hansom ,

1122-535: Was spent by the royal government improving the fortifications to protect Brecon in the event of a Welsh attack. Brecon's walls were largely destroyed during the English Civil War . Today only fragments survive, including some earthworks and parts of one of the gatehouses; these are protected as scheduled monuments . In Shakespeare's play King Richard III , the Duke of Buckingham is suspected of supporting

1156-585: Was strengthened in 1914. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building . In recent years, some of the buildings in the cathedral close have been converted into a diocesan centre, a heritage centre and exhibition, as well as a shop and "the Hours" restaurant. Charles Lumley (1824–1858), awarded the Victoria Cross during the Crimean War , was buried in the cathedral churchyard. The present Dean

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