Brecon, Wales: 'A Town Where
You Will Enjoy Losing Yourself'
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
Want to get away from it all? Then try Brecon in Wales. The town's motto is "a town where you will enjoy losing yourself in." Not only in the narrow streets and passageways lined with Georgian and Jacobean shop fronts, but in the sense of timelessness about the place.
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| THE INTERIOR of Brecon Cathedral. |
Ever since the Iron Age, this magical spot at the confluence of the Usk and Honddu rivers, the latter providing the town's Welsh name, Aberhonddu is sheltered by the mountains and has been prized and protected. Now the commercial centre of the southern part of Powys, Brecon remains first and foremost a traditional mid-Wales market town - as you will see on any Tuesday or Friday.
The town itself is of interest to visitors because this area of Breconshire is generally regarded as one of the most historic locations of settlements in Wales. The parameters of the present town, Slwch Tump and Pen-Y-Curg are the remains of iron age forts, where Celtic immigrants left evidence of their settlement period.
Further west at Y Gaer, are the remains of an eight-acre Roman fort, built to house a garrison of 500 cavalry in about A D 80. This site can be visited and exhibits of excavation materials are on display in Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery.
The name of the town of Brecon is traced by scholars from legendary Fifth C Brychan through to latinised spellings such as Breconia to Anglo-French Brecon. And that is the key to understanding much about the town, developing gradually after victory by the Norman Bernard De NeufMarche at the end of the Eleventh Century period.
Dominated by the castle which was also the administrative centre, Brecon gradually took the form of a fairly typical Norman walled town. Oval in outline, on the narrow level ground between the hills, there were gates at strategic points. The outline can still be traced on the current Town Map and visitors can see the evidence at the castle and along the wall site at the Captain's Walk.
Fine Georgian-style houses in the High Street, Glamorgan Street, Lion Street, and the Bulwark Street and Watton are evidence of prosperity to which a military presence and commercial interests contributed. A covered market building and a busy canal encouraged trade. Both today are visitor attractions, but little trace remains now of railway development. The gentry whose fine houses ring the town, regarded Brecon as a social centre for balls, theatre, and horse racing.
I recently spoke with Councillor and Mayor, Mark Morgan. The Morgan family has lived in Brecon for over 300 years. The Mayor's term of office is one year but Mayor Morgan is now serving a second term as Mayor of Brecon.
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| EVER SINCE THE IRON AGE, this magical spot at the confluence of the Usk and Honddu rivers, the latter providing the town's Welsh name, Aberhonddu, is sheltered by the mountains and has been prized and protected. |
Being Mayor of Brecon is only one of Mark Morgon's position, he also has a full time job with the Ministry of Defense. As the Mayor of Brecon, Morgon attends various community functions such as opening shops, cutting ribbons, and at Christmas, he took the part of Kris Cringle, singing carols with the kids.
Speaking about some of the attractions in Brecon Mayor Morgan said , "this past November we held a Christmas festival and it was so successful we are planning to hold a similar festival in the summer.
"On that day we will close the town, just as they did many year's ago where they used to have little stalls in the town and they would sell trinkets and antiques. We made a big day of it at Christmas and attracted over 7,000 visitors to the event.
And of course there is our jazz fesival in August that takes place from August 10-12. We attract over 40,000 visitors from all over the world. There is music going on in the street all of the time. We have a beautiful brand new theatre and we bring in acts from around the world."
There are many buildings of historic interest in Brecon such as Christ College Brecon, which is a leading secondary school in the heart of Brecon Beacons in Brecon, South Wales. The college has been at its present site since 1541.
The Brecon Guildhall has occupied the same site for 700 years and has undergone several changes since. Today, there is the Council Chamber on the ground floor and theatre on the first floor. There are many artifacts on display in the Council Chamber, foyer and entrance hall depicting the Council's link with Royalty, Military and their twin towns of France and America.
Another Brecon landmark is the half church half castle, the origin of the Cathedral reach back to a fortification built by the half brother of William the Conqueror after he captured the town in 1094.
There is Craig-y-Nos Castle, along with 37 miles of canal that you can leisurely cruise or enjoy the beauty of the national park that spreads out for miles and miles. And, if you like fishing, there is plenty of brown trout and salmon in their pristine and unpolluted upland rivers.
In closing, Mayor Mark Morgan would like to wish everyone a happy St. David's Day and extends a warm welcome to visit Brecon saying: Dymunwn I bawb ddydd gwyl dewi hapus ac ymwelwch a ni yn aberhonddu.
For more information about Brecon, bed and breakfast and hotel accommodations, check-out their website at: www.brecontown.co.uk or www.visitmidwales.co.uk/group.asp. [Special thanks to Neville Thomas of the Dylan Thomas Circle for suggesting the article on Brecon, Wales.]
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