Brecon

Today, the busy market town of Brecon boasts a handsome market square, a riverside promenade, a magnificent cathedral, a ruined castle, the Brecknock Museum, the South Wales Borderers' Museum, a superb leisure centre and the new Theatr Brycheiniog.

Its location on the north edge of the Brecon National Park and its proximity to so many of the delights of Wales make it an ideal base from which to explore south and mid Wales.

A Short History of Brecon

The town has been inhabited for at least 4,500 years and takes its name from the grandson of a fifth century ruler. The grandson's name was Brychan from which comes Brycheiniog and later Brecon.

During the Norman conquests, Bernard de Neufmarche, from the village of Neufmarche near Rouen, the capital of Normandy, undertook the development of the town as a fortification against the unruly Welsh. Through the marriage of his daughter Sybil the town passed to the Earl of Hereford and then to William de Braose and later Humphrey de Bohun. In the middle of the fifteenth century the Lordship of Brecon was handed to the Staffords, the Dukes of Buckingham, who were the last Lords of Brecon.

The politics of the middle ages were such that the Tudors finally eliminated the semi independent Lordship and by Acts of Parliament in 1536 and 1543 the Welsh Marches were brought under Royal control. The County of Brecknock was created in place of the Lordship of Brecon.

In 1974 Brecknock merged into county of Powys.

Welcome To The Brecon Beacons

The Brecon Beacons National Park covers more than 510 square miles and provides a natural barrier between the old industrial valleys of South Wales and rural mid Wales. The park is mainly high open moorland and the Beacons themselves are the highest mountains in southern Britain and so provide spectacular views in all directions.

The Brecon National Park is a walkers paradise with walks that challenge the most seasoned walker but also with many lowland walks for the less ambitious.

Welcome To Wales

Although a small country, Wales has outstanding natural beauty and a wealth of places to visit. The country has three national parks - the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire and five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the Isle of Anglesey, the Llyn Peninsula, the Clwydian Range, the Gower Peninsula and the Wye Valley.

The country's natural beauty ensures that every visitor is able to explore their own particular interest whilst enjoying the traditional Welsh welcome for which the people are famed.