Brecknockshire, or Brecon, an inland county of S. Wales, bounded N. by Radnorshire, E. by Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, S. by Monmouthshire and Glamorgan, and W. by Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire; greatest length, N. and S., 38 miles; greatest breadth, E. and W., 33 miles; area, 460,158 acres, population 57,746. Brecknockshire is one of the most mountainous of the Welsh counties, abounding in grand and picturesque scenery. A range of mountains, running E. and W., culminates about 4 miles S. of the centre of the county in the Van or Beacon (2862 ft.), the highest summit of South Wales; its rocks belong to the old red sandstone or Devonian system. Part of the S. lies within the great Welsh coal-field, where ironstone is also abundant; limestone occurs in the W. Less than one-half of the surface is under cultivation, and the mountain land is generally bare. The river Wye traces nearly the whole of the N. boundary, and the Usk flows in an easterly direction through the central valley. There are manufactures of coarse woollens and worsted hosiery. The Brecon Canal, 33 miles long, extends to the Monmouth Canal at Pontypool. The county comprises 6 hundreds, 91 parishes, with part of one other, and the municipal borough of Brecknock. It is mostly in the diocese of St David’s.
– John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)
Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery
Captain’s Walk
Brecon LD3 7DW
01874 624121
www.powys.gov.uk/brecknockmuseum
Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery is funded and administered by Powys County Council. First established in 1928 by the Brecknock Society, it occupies an historic building at the heart of an outstandingly attractive area with a rich and varied past.
Powys Family History Society
13 Swan Court, Woodchurch Road, Prenton
Birkenhead CH43 0RX
07977 631 132
The Powys Family History Society was formed in 1980, is a member of the Federation of Family History Societies, the Association of Family History Societies of Wales and Capel, the Welsh Chapels heritage society.
Howell Harris Museum
Coleg Trefeca, Trefeca
Brecon LD3 0PP
01874 711423
This small museum depicts the life and work of Howell Harris, the first Methodist (converted 1735) and the self-sufficient Christian community (Teulu Trefeca – the Trefeca family) founded on the site in 1752.
Collections: Furniture, scientific instruments and books made, adapted or used on the site; a scene of Howell Harris preaching; information about the 18th century Methodist revival and the subsequent development of Trefeca.
Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh, The
The Barracks
Brecon LD3 7EB
01874 613310
The museum tells the fascinating story of four of the British army’s most famous regiments. This long history, dating back to the 1680s, is told through many kinds of objects including uniforms, medals, weapons and models.
Tretower
Crickhowel NP8 1RD
01874 730279
For over 900 years Tretower Court and Castle have been altered, adjusted and adapted to keep up with the style and tastes of the time. Now you can see what the kitchen and great hall may have looked like around 1470.