Brecon (Aberhonddu)

Introducing Brecon (Aberhonddu)

The handsome stone market town of Brecon stands at the meeting of the River Usk and the River Honddu. For centuries the town thrived as a centre of wool production and weaving; today it’s the main transport hub for the national park and a natural base for exploring the surrounding countryside.

An Iron Age hill fort on Pen-y-Crug, northwest of town, and the remains of a Roman camp at Y Gaer, to the west, testifies to the site’s antiquity. After the Romans, the area was ruled by the Irish-born king Brychan, who married into a Welsh royal house in the 5th century. The town takes its name from him, and his kingdom, Brycheiniog (anglicised to Brecknock), gave its name to the old county of Brecknockshire. Merthyr Tydfil was named for Brychan’s daughter, St Tudful.

It was not until Norman times that Brecon began to burgeon. The local Welsh prince, Rhys ap Tewdwr, was defeated in 1093 by Bernard de Newmarch, a Norman lord, who then built the town’s castle and church (which later became a cathedral).

Last updated: Sep 29, 2008