View source for Brecon

{{Short description|Town in Powys, Mid Wales}}
{{for|the small suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio|Brecon, Ohio}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                     = Wales
| welsh_name                  = Aberhonddu
| constituency_welsh_assembly = [[Brecon and Radnorshire (Senedd constituency)|Brecon and Radnorshire]]
| static_image_name           = Brecon, River Usk - geograph.org.uk - 1983133.jpg
| static_image_caption        = 
| map_type                    =
| official_name               = Brecon
| coordinates                 = {{coord|51.948|-3.391|display=inline,title}}
| community_wales             = Brecon<ref>{{cite web |title=Brecon Town Council |url=https://brecontowncouncil.org.uk/ |website=Brecon Town Council |access-date=23 July 2021}}</ref>
| unitary_wales               = [[Powys]]
| lieutenancy_wales           = [[Powys]]
| constituency_westminster    = [[Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe (UK Parliament constituency)|Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe]]
| post_town                   = BRECON
| postcode_district           = LD3
| postcode_area               = LD
| dial_code                   = 01874
| os_grid_reference           = SO045285
| population                  = 8,250
| population_ref              = (2011)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11121126&c=brecon+community&d=16&e=62&g=6491238&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1447518271693&enc=1|title=Town population 2011|access-date=14 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117040518/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11121126&c=brecon+community&d=16&e=62&g=6491238&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1447518271693&enc=1|archive-date=17 November 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> 
| module=  {{Collapsible list
| framestyle=border:none;text-align:center; padding:0; |title=Community map
|1=[[File:Wales Powys Community Brecon map.svg|240px]]<br />Map of the community
}}
}}
[[File:The Brecon County Times May 5 1866.jpg|thumb|280px|Front page of the earliest surviving copy on ''[[The Brecon County Times]]'', 5 May 1866]]

'''Brecon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|r|ɛ|k|ən}};<ref>{{Cite Collins Dictionary|Brecon|access-date=2024-01-15}}</ref> {{langx|cy|Aberhonddu}}; {{IPA|cy|ˌabɛrˈhɔnði|pron}}), archaically known as '''Brecknock''', is a [[market town]] in [[Powys]], mid [[Wales]]. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701.<ref>''The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol III'', (1847) London, Charles Knight, p.765.</ref> The population in 2001 was 7,901,<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do?instanceSelection=03070&productId=779&$ph=60_61&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=8&containerAreaId=790565 | publisher = Office for National Statistics | title = Census | year = 2001 | contribution = Parish Headcounts: Powys | access-date = 2009-11-22 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110613032101/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do?instanceSelection=03070&productId=779&$ph=60_61&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=8&containerAreaId=790565 | archive-date = 13 June 2011 | url-status = dead }}.</ref> 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, Powys|Newtown]] and [[Ystradgynlais]]. It lies north of the [[Brecon Beacons]] mountain range, but is just within the [[Brecon Beacons National Park]].

==History==

===Early history===
The [[Welsh language|Welsh]] name, Aberhonddu, means "mouth of the Honddu". It is derived from the [[River Honddu (Powys)|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 (historiography)|Dark Ages]] the original Welsh name of the kingdom in whose territory Brecon stands was (in modern orthography) "[[Brycheiniog]]", which was later [[Anglicisation|anglicised]] to Brecknock or Brecon, and probably derives from [[Brychan]], the eponymous founder of the kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/brychbbg.html|title=Brychan Brycheiniog, King of Brycheiniog|publisher=Early English Kingdoms|access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

Before the building of the bridge over the Usk, Brecon was one of the few places where the river could be [[ford (river)|forded]]. In [[Roman Britain]] [[Y Gaer]] (''Cicucium'') was established as a Roman cavalry base for the conquest of [[Wales in the Roman Era|Roman Wales]] and Brecon was first established as a military base.<ref>{{cite web|title=A short guide to Brecon Gaer Roman Fort| url=http://www.cpat.org.uk/educate/guides/brecgaer/brecgaer.htm|publisher=Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust|access-date= 2 February 2013}}</ref>

===Norman control===
The [[confluence]] of the [[River Honddu (Powys)|River Honddu]] and the [[River Usk]] made for a valuable defensive position for the [[Norman architecture|Norman]] [[castle]] which overlooks the town, built by [[Bernard de Neufmarche]] in the late 11th century.<ref name="Davies">Davies (2008).</ref>{{rp |80}} [[Gerald of Wales]] came and made some speeches in 1188 to recruit men to go to the [[Crusades]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historypoints.org/index.php?page=geralds-journey-through-wales-in-1188|title=Gerald's Journey through Wales in 1188|publisher=History Points|access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

===Town walls===
Brecon's town walls were constructed by [[Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford|Humphrey de Bohun]] after 1240.<ref name = "Pettifer">Pettifer (2000).</ref>{{rp |8}}  The walls were built of cobble, with four [[gatehouse]]s and was protected by ten semi-circular [[bastion]]s.<ref name = "Pettifer" />{{rp |9}}  In 1400 the Welsh prince [[Owain Glyndŵr]] rose in rebellion against English rule, and in response in 1404, 100 [[mark (money)|marks]] 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 monument]]s.<ref name= BreconGatehouse>{{Citation | first = Philip | last = Davis | url = http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/Welshsites/23.html | contribution = Brecon Town Walls | title = Gatehouse | access-date = 13 October 2011}}.</ref>

In Shakespeare's play ''[[Richard III (play)|King Richard III]]'', the Duke of Buckingham is suspected of supporting the Welsh pretender Richmond (the future Henry VII), and declares:
 
<blockquote>''O, let me think on Hastings and be gone<br />To Brecknock, while my fearful head is on!''<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tAI5-zNxErgC&pg=PA1250 |title=The Plays of Shakspere, Carefully Revised from the Best Authorities|first= Barry |last=Cornwall|volume=2|year=1853|page=1250}}</ref></blockquote>

===Priory and cathedral===
[[File:Brecon Cathedral (5726564531).jpg|thumb|[[Brecon Cathedral]]]]
A priory was dissolved in 1538, and Brecon's Dominican Friary of St Nicholas was suppressed in August of the same year.<ref name="stmichaelsrcbrecon.org.uk">{{cite web |title=History of St. Michael's Church – St. Michael's Catholic Church, Brecon |url=http://www.stmichaelsrcbrecon.org.uk/?page_id=11667 |website=stmichaelsrcbrecon.org.uk |access-date=23 July 2021}}</ref> About {{convert|250|m|yd|abbr=on}} north of 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&nbsp;Davids]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crockford.org.uk/places/27973/swansea-and-brecon|title=Swansea and Brecon|publisher=Crockford's Clerical Directory|access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

===St Mary's Church===
[[St Mary's Church, Brecon|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 {{convert|90|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} high, was built in 1510 by [[Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham|Edward, Duke of Buckingham]] at a cost of £2,000. The tower has eight bells which have been rung since 1750, the heaviest of which weighs {{convert|16|Lcwt|kg|abbr=on|order=flip}}. 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stmarysbrecon.org.uk/bellringing | title=Bellringing|publisher=St Mary's Church in Wales|access-date=22 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stmarysbrecon.org.uk/history|title=History|publisher=St Mary's Church Brecon|access-date=22 February 2024}}</ref> It is a Grade II* [[listed building]].<ref>{{Cadw|num=7015|desc=Church of St Mary, Brecon, Powys|grade=II*|access-date=22 February 2024}}</ref>

===St David's Church, Llanfaes===
[[File:St. David's church and churchyard, Llanfaes - geograph.org.uk - 1284712.jpg|thumb|[[St. David's Church, Llanfaes|St&nbsp;David's Church]]]]
The [[St. David's Church, Llanfaes|Church of St&nbsp;David]], referred to locally as Llanfaes Church, 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&nbsp;David's in the field'.<ref>{{cite book|last=Poole|first=Edwin|title=The Illustrated History and Biography of Brecknockshire: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Illustrated by Several Engravings and Portraits|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X6FCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA67|edition=Public domain|year=1886|publisher=Edwin Poole|page=67}}</ref>

===Plough Lane Chapel, Lion Street===
[[Plough Lane Chapel, Brecon|Plough Lane Chapel]], also known as Plough United Reformed Church, is a [[Grade II* listed building]]. The present building dates back to 1841 and was re-modelled by Owen Morris Roberts.<ref>{{NHAW|desc=Plough Lane Chapel, Brecon|num=6945|access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

===St Michael's Church===
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 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]], was built in 1851 at a cost of £1,000.<ref name="stmichaelsrcbrecon.org.uk"/>

==Military town==
The east end of town has two military establishments:
* Dering Lines, home to the [[Infantry Battle School]] (formerly Infantry Training Centre Wales)<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.army.mod.uk/brigade_of_gurkhas/brigade_units/gurkha_demonstration_companies/brecon/ | contribution = Brecon | publisher = Army | place = UK | title = Brigade of Gurkhas | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041118175217/http://www.army.mod.uk/brigade_of_gurkhas/brigade_units/gurkha_demonstration_companies/brecon/ | archive-date = 18 November 2004 | df = dmy-all }}.</ref>
* [[The Barracks, Brecon]], home to [[160th (Wales) Brigade]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/FR20_Implementation_-_Wales_Summary1.pdf|title=Summary of Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) implementation measures within Wales|accessdate=20 April 2012|archive-date=21 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421051041/http://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/FR20_Implementation_-_Wales_Summary1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Approximately {{convert|9|mi|km|0}} to the west of Brecon is [[Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA)|Sennybridge Training Area]], an important training facility for the [[British Army]].<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.army.mod.uk/5div/organisation/160_wales_brigade/ | contribution = 160the Wales Brigade | publisher = Army | place = UK | title = 5th Division }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref>

==Geography==
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, 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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Barclay |first1=W.J. |last2=Davies |first2=J.R. |last3=Humpage |first3=A.J. |last4=Waters |first4=R.A. |last5=Wilby |first5=P.R. |last6=Williams |first6=M. |last7=Wilson |first7=D. |title=Geology of the Brecon District |date=2005 |publisher=British Geological Survey |location=Keyworth, Nottingham |isbn=0-85272-511-6 |page=31}}</ref>

==Governance==
[[File:Brecon Guild Hall - geograph.org.uk - 3089538.jpg|thumb|[[Brecon Guildhall]]]]
There are two tiers of local government covering Brecon, at [[Community (Wales)|community]] (town) and [[Principal areas of Wales|county]] level: Brecon Town Council and [[Powys County Council]]. The town council is based at [[Brecon Guildhall]] on the High Street.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brecon Town Council |url=https://brecontowncouncil.org.uk/ |access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref>

The town council elects a mayor annually. In May 2018 it elected its first mixed race mayor, local hotelier Emmanuel (Manny) Trailor.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.brecon-radnor.co.uk/article.cfm?id=107519&headline=First+mixed-race+mayor+elected+by+Brecon+Town+Council&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2018 | title=First mixed-race mayor elected by Brecon Town Council |work=The Brecon & Radnor Express |date=16 May 2018 |access-date =22 September 2018}}</ref>

===Controversy===
In 2010 the Town Council installed a plaque to the slave-trader Captain Thomas Phillips captain of the [[Hannibal (slave ship)|Hannibal]] slave ship.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.brecon-radnor.co.uk/news/controversial-plaque-commemorating-brecons-links-to-slave-trader-is-removed-ahead-of-review-82586 | title=Controversial plaque commemorating Brecon's links to slave trader is removed ahead of review |work=The Brecon & Radnor Express |date=11 June 2020 |access-date =6 April 2025}}</ref> During the worldwide [[Black Lives Matter movement in popular culture|Black Lives Matter]] protests the plaque was removed and thrown into the River Usk.{{CN|date=April 2024}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=James |date=12 June 2020 |title=Slave trader's town centre plaque stripped from wall in Brecon |url=https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/18512165.slave-traders-town-centre-plaque-stripped-wall-brecon/ |work=Hereford Times |pages=1}}</ref> 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.
<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minutes of a Meeting of the Brecon Town Council held remotely via GoToMeeting on Monday 28 September 2020 at 7.00 P.M. |url=https://brecontowncouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/DRAFT-Council-Minutes-28-September-2020.pdf |website=brecontowncouncil.org.uk}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
Brecon was an [[ancient borough]]. Its date of becoming a borough is unknown, but it was described as having [[Burgess (title)|burgesses]] in 1100 and its first known [[Municipal charter|charter]] was issued in 1276.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brecon Boroughs |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/constituencies/brecon-boroughs |website=The History of Parliament |access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |title=Laws in Wales Act 1535 |date=1536 |page=246 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=do1KAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA246 |access-date=14 November 2024}}</ref>

The borough of Brecon's responsibilities were originally primarily judicial, holding various courts. The borough council also owned the [[Manorialism|manorial]] rights to the borough, oversaw the town's market and fairs, and ran elections for the [[Brecon (UK Parliament constituency)|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.<ref>{{cite book |title=Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 1 |date=1835 |pages=177–184 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A3FTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA177 |access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref>

The borough was reformed to become a [[municipal borough]] in 1836 under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]], which standarised how most boroughs operated across the country.<ref>{{cite book |title=Municpal Corporations Act |date=1835 |page=459 |url=https://archive.org/details/statutesunitedk35britgoog/page/458/mode/2up?q=coventry |access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref> The improvement commissioners were abolished in 1850 when their functions were taken over by the borough council.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lawes |first1=Edward |title=The Act for Promoting the Public Health, with notes |date=1851 |publisher=Shaw and Sons |location=London |pages=260–261 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MRJXAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA260 |access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Brecon Urban District / Municipal Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10009352#tab02 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref>

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.<ref>[[Local Government Act 1972]]</ref><ref>[[Local Government (Wales) Act 1994]]</ref>

==Education==
[[File:GIRLS' COUMTY SCHOOL LAB.jpg|thumb|Laboratory, Brecon County School for Girls]]
Brecon has [[primary school]]s, with 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, Brecon|Christ College]], which was founded in 1541.<ref name="BBC CCBrecon">{{cite web |title=Christ College Brecon in £5m anniversary investment boost |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-18721033 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 August 2018 |date=5 July 2012}}</ref>

==Transport==
[[File:Brecon.JPG|right|thumb|The [[Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal]] basin at Brecon, the northern starting point of the [[Taff Trail]]]]
The junction of the east–west [[A40 road|A40]] ([[London]]-[[Monmouth]]-[[Carmarthen]]-[[Fishguard]]) and the north–south [[A470 road|A470]] ([[Cardiff]]-[[Merthyr Tydfil]]-[[Llandudno]]) is on the east side of Brecon town centre. The nearest airport is [[Cardiff Airport]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.breconbeacons.org/discover/getting-here|title=Getting There|publisher=Brecon Beacons|access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

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 the town centre with the suburbs, operating at a roughly-hourly frequency.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bustimes.org/services/40a-brecon-brecon-3 | title=40A, 40B - Brecon - Brecon }}</ref>

===Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal===
The [[Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal]] runs for {{convert|35|mi|km|0}} between Brecon and [[Pontnewydd]], [[Cwmbran]]. It then continues to [[Newport, Wales|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 the [[Severn Estuary]]. The canalside in Brecon was redeveloped in the 1990s and is now the site of two mooring basins and [[Theatr Brycheiniog]].<ref name=tt>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/1299-theatr-brycheiniog|title=Theatr Brycheiniog - The Theatres Trust|publisher=theatrestrust.org.uk|accessdate=27 November 2014}}</ref>

===Usk bridge===
{{main|Usk Bridge (Brecon)}}
[[File:Usk Bridge plaque, Brecon (geograph 2977056).jpg|left|thumb|170px|Usk Bridge plaque]]
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, the son of [[William Edwards (architect)|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.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-brecon-bridge-tw0616| title= Joseph Mallord William TurnerBrecon Bridge c.1798-9|publisher= Tate|access-date = 19 January 2014}}</ref>

===Former railways===
The [[Neath and Brecon Railway]] reached Brecon in 1867, terminating at [[Brecon Free Street railway station|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<ref>{{cite book| first=D.S.M.| last=Barrie| title=The Brecon and Merthyr Railway| publisher=The Oakwood Press| location=Trowbridge| orig-year=1957| year=1980|isbn=0-85361-087-8}}</ref>
* '''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<ref>{{Citation |url= http://history.powys.org.uk/school1/brecon/stations.shtml |title=Victorian Brecon |contribution=Railway stations |publisher=Powys |place=UK}}</ref> and the station finally closed in 1872<ref>Railway Passenger Stations by M.Quick page 96</ref>

===Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway===
[[File:Hugh llewelyn 9796 & 3621 (7873352510).jpg|thumb|A train arriving at Brecon station on 6 October 1962, the last day of service. The steam locomotive is a [[GWR 5700 Class]]]]
The [[Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway]] was opened gradually from Hereford towards Brecon. The first section opened in 1862, with passenger services on the complete line starting on 21 September 1864.<ref>{{Harvnb|Butt|1995|p=103}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Awdry">{{Harvnb|Awdry|1990|p=80}}</ref>  The MR was absorbed into the [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway]] (LMS) on 1 January 1923.<ref>{{citation| url = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/11-12/55/enacted| publisher = HMSO| date  = 19 August 1921| title = Railways Act 1921}}</ref>
 
Passenger services to [[Merthyr]] ended in 1958, [[Neath]] in October 1962 and [[Newport, Wales|Newport]] in December 1962. In 1962 the important line to [[Hereford]] closed.  Therefore, Brecon lost all its train services before the 1963 ''[[Beeching cuts|Reshaping of British Railways]]'' report (often referred to as the [[Beeching Axe]]) was implemented.<ref>{{cite web |author=Garry Keenor |url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=13 |title=The Reshaping of British Railways – Part 1: Report |publisher=The Railways Archive |access-date=25 July 2010}}</ref>

==Culture==
Brecon hosted the [[National Eisteddfod of Wales|National Eisteddfod]] in 1889.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eisteddfod.wales/about-us/past-locations |title=Past locations |publisher=National Eisteddfod |access-date=2017-10-15 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090454/https://eisteddfod.wales/about-us/past-locations |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.<ref name=tt/>

October sees the annual 4-day weekend Brecon Baroque Music Festival, organised by leading violinist [[Rachel Podger]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicatoxford.com/brecon-baroque-festival/|title= Brecon Baroque Music Festival|date= 21 October 2020|publisher=Music at Oxford| access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

[[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 the Brecon line had gone missing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.welshnot.com/the-bells-of-rhymney/|title= The Bells of Rhymney|date= 2 May 2013|publisher=Welsh Not|access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

==Points of interest==
[[File:Brecon Castle (geograph 4250259).jpg|thumb|[[Brecon Castle]]]]
* [[Brecon Castle]]
* [[Brecon Beacons]] National Park Visitor Centre (also known as the [[Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre|Mountain Centre]])
* [[Brecon Beacons Food Festival]]
* [[Brecon Cathedral]], the seat of the [[Diocese of Swansea and Brecon]]
* [[Brecon Jazz Festival]]
* [[Christ College, Brecon]]
* [[Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh]]
* [[Theatr Brycheiniog]] (Brecon Theatre)
* [[Y Gaer (cultural hub)|Y Gaer]]

==Notable people==
[[File:St.David's Cathedral - Dreieinigkeitskapelle 5 Giraldus Cambrensis.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Gerald of Wales]] at St.David's Cathedral]]
:''See [[:Category:People from Brecon]]''
[[File:Thomas Gainsborough 015.jpg|thumb|140px|''[[Portrait of Sarah Siddons (Gainsborough)|Portrait of Sarah Siddons]]'' by [[Thomas Gainsborough]], 1785]]
[[File:OIFF 2015-07-17 143447 - Nia Roberts.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Nia Roberts (actress)|Nia Roberts]], 2015]]
* [[Sibyl de Neufmarché]] (ca.1100 – after 1143), Countess of Hereford, [[suo jure]] Lady of Brecknock
* [[Gerald of Wales]] (ca.1146 – ca.1223), a [[Cambro-Norman]] priest and historian.
* [[William de Braose (died 1230)|William de Braose]] (ca.1197 – 1230), a [[Marcher lord]].<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Braose, William de | volume= 4 | page = 432 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Dafydd Gam]] (ca.1380 – 1415), archer, died fighting for [[Henry V of England|Henry V]] at the [[Battle of Agincourt]]
* [[Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham]] (1478–1521) an English nobleman.
* [[Dafydd Epynt]] (15th Century), poet
* [[Hugh Price (lawyer)|Hugh Price]] (ca.1495 – 1574), founder of [[Jesus College, Oxford]]
* [[William Wynter|Admiral Sir William Wynter]] (ca.1521 – 1589), principal officer of the [[Council of the Marine]]
* [[Henry Vaughan]] (1621–1695), physician and author, a major [[Metaphysical poets|Metaphysical poet]].<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Vaughan, Henry | volume= 27 | page = 955 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[John Jeffreys (died 1689)|John Jeffreys]] (ca.1623 - 1689), landowner and politician, first master of the [[Royal Hospital Kilmainham]] 
* Captain Thomas Phillips<ref>{{cite book |last1=Caldicott |first1=Rosemary L |title=Voyage of Despair. The Hannibal, its captain and all who sailed in her, 1693-1695 |date=1 March 2024 |publisher=Bristol Radical History Group |location=Bristol |isbn=978-1-911522-63-8 |pages=250 |edition=1st |url=https://www.brh.org.uk/site/pamphleteer/voyage-of-despair/ |access-date=20 March 2024 |language=en}}</ref> (late 17th century), commander of the ''[[Hannibal (slave ship)|Hannibal]]'' slave ship
* [[Thomas Coke (bishop)|Thomas Coke]] (1747–1814), Mayor of Brecon in 1772 and the first [[Methodist]] [[bishop]].<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Coke, Thomas | volume= 6 | page = 655 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Sarah Siddons]] (1755–1831), [[Tragedy|tragedienne]] actress.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Siddons, Sarah | volume= 25 | pages = 37&ndash;38 |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[David Price (East India Company officer)|David Price]] (1762–1835), orientalist and officer in the [[East India Company]].
* [[Charles Kemble]] (1775–1854), actor, younger brother of [[Sarah Siddons]].<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Kemble | volume= 5 | pages = 723&ndash;724; see page 724 |quote= Charles Kemble (1775–1854), a younger brother of.... |short= 1}}</ref>
* [[John Evan Thomas]] (1810–1873), a Welsh sculptor
* [[Mordecai Jones]] (1813-1880), businessman, pioneered the South Wales coalfield, Mayor of Brecon in 1854.
* [[Frances Hoggan]] (1843–1927), first British woman to receive a doctorate in medicine
* [[Ernest Howard Griffiths]] (1851–1932), physicist and academic
* [[Gwenllian Morgan]] (1852–1939), the first woman in Wales to hold the office of Mayor. 
* [[Llewela Davies]] (1871–1952), pianist and composer
* [[Olive Wheeler|Dame Olive Wheeler]] (1886–1963), educationist, psychologist and university lecturer
* [[Richard Maybery|Captain Richard Mayberry]] (1895–1917), World War I flying ace
* Lt Col [[S. F. Newcombe]] (1878–1956), Army Officer and associate of [[T. E. Lawrence]].
* [[Tudor Watkins, Baron Watkins]] (1903–1983), politician and MP
* [[John Fullard]] (1907–1973), tenor singer with the [[Covent Garden Opera]]
* [[George Melly]] (1926–2007), [[trad jazz]] singer, art critic and writer, retreat at Brecon between 1971 and 1999
* [[Gareth Gwenlan]] (1937–2016), TV producer, director and executive
* [[Roger Glover]] (born 1945), bassist and songwriter with the band [[Deep Purple]]
* [[Jeb Loy Nichols]] (born ca.1965), musician
* [[Nia Roberts (actress)|Nia Roberts]] (born 1972), actress
* [[Gerard Cousins]] (born 1974), guitarist, composer and arranger.
* [[Natasha Marsh]] (born 1975), soprano singer. 
* [[Sian Reese-Williams]] (born 1981), actress

=== Sport ===
* [[Frederick Bowley (cricketer, born 1873)|Frederick Bowley]] (1873–1943), a first-class cricketer for Worcestershire
* [[Walley Barnes]] (1920–1975), footballer with 299 club caps and 22 for [[Wales national football team|Wales]] and a broadcaster.
* [[Andy Powell (rugby)|Andy Powell]] (born 1981), [[Welsh Rugby Union]] international [[Number eight (rugby union)|number eight]]
* [[Sam Hobbs (rugby union)|Sam Hobbs]] (born 1988), rugby union player with [[Cardiff Blues]]
* [[Jessica Allen]] (born 1989), a Welsh racing cyclist.
* [[Emma Plewa]] (born 1990), footballer with 20 caps with [[Wales women's national football team|Wales women]]

==Town twinning==
Brecon is [[sister city|twinned]] with:
* [[Saline, Michigan]], United States
* [[Blaubeuren]], [[Baden-Württemberg]], Germany. (Blaubeuren is twinned with [[Brecknockshire]], which is an area of [[Powys]], rather than with the town of Brecon.)
* [[Gouesnou]], [[Brittany]], France
* [[Dhampus]], [[Kaski District]], Nepal

==References==
{{reflist|3}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Awdry-RailCo}}
* {{Butt-Stations}}
* Caldicott, R. L. (2024). [https://www.brh.org.uk/site/pamphleteer/voyage-of-despair/ ''Voyage of Despair. The Hannibal, its captain and all who sailed in her, 1693-1695'']. BRHG Books. {{ISBN|978-1-911522-63-8}}

* {{cite book |last=Davies |first= John |author2=Jenkins, Nigel |title= The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales |year= 2008 | publisher=University of Wales Press |location=Cardiff |isbn=978-0-7083-1953-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Pettifer|first=Adrian|year=2000|title=Welsh Castles: a Guide by Counties|publisher=Boydell Press|location=Woodbridge, UK|isbn=978-0-85115-778-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/welshcastlesguid0000pett}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Brecon}}
{{EB1911 poster|Brecon}}
* {{wikivoyage inline|Brecon}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100126015030/http://www.brecontown.co.uk/intro.htm Brecon Town Council website]

<!--{{coord|51.94677|N|3.39086|W|region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SO045285)|display=title}}--><!-- Note: WGS84 lat/long, converted from OSGB36 grid ref -->
{{Powys}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Brecon| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Powys]]
[[Category:County towns in Wales]]
[[Category:Market towns in Wales]]
[[Category:Towns with cathedrals in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:River Usk]]
[[Category:Former county towns in Wales]]

[[sl:HMS Brecon]]
[[fi:HMS Brecon]]