Secret Brecon

By Mal Morrison

Don't be fooled by Brecon's quiet, serene exterior for lurking just beneath the surface are little-known and long-forgotten secrets. Here on the fair banks of the Usk, famous for its salmon and trout fishing, we recount tales of tragedy and remarkable valour in the lengthy and varied history of this town. We read of gruesome public executions on the riverbank, of poachers' adventures with water bailiffs, of the almost forgotten grave of a hero of the Crimea who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his outstanding bravery, and read with sadness of his ignominious death here in Brecon. We meet a nobleman, seemingly born to greatness, who instead died a traitor's death at the hands of Henry VIII, and hear of French officers captured in the Napoleonic Wars who left their mark here. We seek out people and places that no longer exist, including Longfellow, a once famous Breconian, and his garden. We meet a Brecon-born actor with an extensive and wide-ranging career, including a Bond film, who never forgot his roots. Fully illustrated in colour throughout, Secret Brecon delves beneath the surface of this ancient town, veers away from the main streets and sights, and invites the reader to discover and enjoy Brecon's hidden history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amberley Publishing
• Release date: Mar 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781445672632

Mal Morrison

Mal Morrison has a lifelong fascination with local history and the majority of his published work reflects this. His first publication was "A pictorial history of Builth Wells" in 1989 and more recently co-authored "Photographs of old Builth Wells". Now semi-retired he lectures in local colleges and to the military on health and safety and advanced first aid and is an active member of the local heritage society. He lives in central Wales.

Book preview

Introduction

Brecon lies in the heart of one the prettiest of Britain’s national parks. On the surface it appears to be a quiet little town that grew around the Norman castle built here in the twelfth century; however, don’t be fooled by its quiet and serene exterior for lurking just beneath the surface are long-forgotten secrets and conundrums. Here, in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park where three rivers meet, is some of the most fabulous scenery and possibly the finest fishing spots in Wales. But in this book we shall be exploring the lost and almost forgotten tales from our past. In this military town we find some of the colourful people who have made it what it is today. We revisit stories of tragedy, of humour, and of remarkable valour as we take a stroll through some of the streets and thoroughfares. Along the way we will meet a proud railwaymen; a brilliant scholar whose life was tragically cut short before he could achieve his potential; we have first-hand accounts of the adventures of poachers and their cat-and-mouse encounters with water bailiffs; of the bravery of a hero of the Crimea, awarded one of the first ever Victoria Cross medals, and how he met his death here in Brecon; of the nobleman born into greatness in Brecon, who rose to the highest offices in the land only to die a traitor’s death at the hands of Henry VIII; and of French officers captured in the Napoleonic Wars and their time paroled here.

We read of the good and the gruesome in our past, of our schooldays in Brecon and life back in the day; we meet a ‘Bond’ actor who never forgot his roots; and discover solid evidence that the Tardis has landed here in Brecon, bringing with it Doctor Who and his assistant.

Author Mal Morrison was born and educated here, and his interest in Brecon’s history and heritage has grown throughout his lifetime. He has maintained links with the town throughout and has been a regular visitor. In this book, he aims to give a new and unbiased slant on the town he loves so much. Here, in his sixth book, he revisits some of the haunts of his youth and digs beneath the surface to recount events, some of which he has first-hand knowledge of. Much of the research has been meticulously gleaned from the records of local papers, and some is recycled from unpublished work carried out in the 1940s and 1950s by Albert Tilley, who loved Brecon and especially its cathedral.

Fully illustrated in colour, complemented with some rare and interesting early photographs, this book takes the reader on a thrilling tour of the lesser-known parts of the town and district. There are two guided walks that will be a joy to follow on a pleasant day, with plenty of places along the way to stop and take stock.

Enjoy Secret Brecon. Hopefully after absorbing the contents of its pages the reader will once again see the thriving coaching inns as they walk past, and feel the bustle of the once busy canal area and imagine the town as it once was in its railway heyday. Brecon is and always will be a living, evolving entity; the only constant is the beautiful Brecon Beacons with the three majestic peaks, sentinels guarding the town that we are privileged to live in.

1. Where It All Began

Where did it all begin for Brecon, or Aberhonddu as it is in the Welsh language? There is evidence all around of occupation before and during Roman times. The modern-day town is overlooked by the Iron Age hillforts on Pen y Crug and Slwch Tump and surrounded by countless reminders of our distant past.

We can only wonder at the mysterious and magnificent Maen Llia standing stone on the barren hillside to the south-west of Brecon. How did it get there? This type of stone is not native, but it could have been deposited here by the glaciers that chiselled out these valleys some 20,000 years ago; or perhaps our ancient forefathers, recognising the megalith’s magical properties, somehow with their primitive engineering, dragged and erected it here. Maen Llir is an unusual type of old red sandstone originating some distance away. The massive obelisk stands in rural splendour in an inhospitable location, unmoved by eons of wind, rain and snow. We know our ancestors were capable of impressive feats of engineering, which is amply demonstrated throughout these islands.

This enigmatic stone, unaffected by the ravages of time, may or may not have magical properties but it never fails to inspire those who take time to visit its lonely home.

A wild Welsh mountain pony near Maen Llia.

Did it mark a pathway or a boundary? Does it have religious significance? Primitive it may be but it has stood proud for 4,000 odd years, rising 3.7 metres above ground.

Legend has it that on Midsummer Eve the stone awakens and goes down to the nearby river (Afon Llia), to take a drink. This story most likely stems from mighty Maen Llia’s mid-summer shadow stretching towards the river giving life to the legend. Maen Llia is a Scheduled Ancient Monument protected by Cadw and the Welsh government.

Little is known about the history of the pre-Roman Iron Age hillfort on the Crug Hill, a short distance north-west of Brecon, but it is undoubtedly the most impressive hillfort in the area. Once we would have seen stone and earth ramparts with wooden palisades atop, but today just earthwork banks and ditches remain. Entry to the hillfort was through a single entrance on the southeast side. Pen-y-Crug was once a place where people lived, worked, farmed and traded. It is easy to see why ancient man chose to build a settlement here. It has extensive views in all directions covering the mountains and the Usk Valley, and several neighbouring hillforts including Slwch Tump, Coed Fenni-fach on the adjacent hill and Twyn y Gaer on Mynydd Illtud across the valley.

The Romans arrived here around AD 75 and the remains of a substantial fortification stands just outside Brecon at Y Gaer (GR SO00332966). Getting to Y Gaer from Brecon take the road to Cradoc village, then turn left to Aberyscir, taking a left turn at the first crossroads; the road ends in a farmyard and the fort is beyond. The farm and surrounding fields are on private land so park with consideration and close all gates. The site is not signposted from the road but the main part of the fort is under the care of CADW.

Maen Llia standing stone, Brecon Beacons National Park. (Matt Botwood)

Archaeologists at work at Y Gaer in 2017.

Remains of Northern wall and moat.

Archaeologists are currently excavating the site (2017) and performing preservation work. The site of the fortification is well chosen and the earliest fortress contained defensive banks with a wooden palisade protecting the defenders. The troops stationed at Y Gaer are known to have included cavalry from Spain. The fort was rebuilt in stone during the second half of second century.

It is rectangular with an entrance in the middle of each side. A substantial part of the perimeter wall with corner turrets are reasonably preserved as are parts of a defensive ditch. Much of the foundations of the gates and guardrooms survive and this is where the current archaeological preservation work is taking place. The fort’s principal buildings will have included living quarters, storehouses, a bath house and barracks, and earlier excavations have uncovered many interesting artefacts, some of which are on view at Brecon museum. I spent several minutes in conversation with the archaeologists during my visit. Their work here