Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Brecon (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Brecon Cathedral, St Mary's Church, and Theatr Brycheiniog. Also, be sure to include South Wales Borderers Museum in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Brecon (Wales).
Table of Contents
Brecon Cathedral
11th-century church in a former priory. Brecon Cathedral, in the town of Brecon, Powys, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon in the Church in Wales and seat of the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon. Previously the church of Brecon Priory and then the Parish Church of St John the Evangelist, it became Brecon Cathedral following the disestablishment of the Church in Wales in 1920 and the creation of the diocese in 1923.[1]
Address: Cathedral Close, LD3 9DP Brecon
St Mary's Church
Church in Brecon, Wales. St Mary's Church is a parish church in Brecon, Powys, Mid Wales. It is a Grade II* listed building in Powys. The structure was originally a chapel of ease for the priory. The 90 feet West Tower dates to 1510 and is attributed to Edward, Duke of Buckingham. The eight bells date to 1750, and were taken down for refurbishment in 2007.[2]
Theatr Brycheiniog
Theatre in Brecon, Wales. Theatr Brycheiniog is a modern theatre, arts and community venue in Brecon, the old county town of Brecknockshire and now part of south Powys in Mid Wales, UK.[3]
Address: Canal Wharf, LD3 7EW Brecon
South Wales Borderers Museum
Museum in Brecon, Wales. The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh, formerly the South Wales Borderers Museum is located at Brecon in Wales. The museum's collection is made up of artefacts collected from a variety of sources from around the world and which display the regiment's 300-year history.[4]
Address: The Barracks Watton, LD3 7EB Brecon
Maen Llia
Landmark in Wales. Maen Llia is a standing stone which sits on moorland at grid reference SN924192 in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, Wales.
The stone which is a large piece of intraformational conglomerate from the Old Red Sandstone measures 3.7 m (12 ft) high by 2.8 m (9 ft) wide by 0.6 m (2 ft). It is roughly diamond-shaped and is partly moss-covered. Its age and original purpose are unknown though it is thought to date from the Bronze Age. It is a popular tourist attraction, lying just 30 yards off a minor road running north from the village of Ystradfellte in the Waterfall Country towards the hamlet of Heol Senni and Brecon, the county town of Brecknockshire.
There is a low heather-covered henge 200 metres to the southwest. Another significant standing stone, Maen Madoc, lies just off the old Roman road known as Sarn Helen about 2 miles (3.5 km) to the south. Whilst this latter stone bears legible writing, there is none visible on Maen Llia though some faint lettering was reported still to be visible in the mid twentieth century.
Legend has it that the stone goes down to the river, the Afon Llia to drink on occasion. This tale seems likely to be an allusion to the fact that its shadow is cast across the moorland as far as the river when the sun is low in the evening sky.
The stone is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[5]
Y Gaer
Museum. Y Gaer is a municipal structure in Glamorgan Street, Brecon, Powys, Wales. The complex, which includes a museum, an art gallery and a library and incorporates a structure which was once the shire hall for Brecknockshire, is a Grade II* listed building.[6]
Address: Captains Walk, Brecon
Brecon Castle
Hotel in Brecon, Wales. Brecon Castle is a castle in the town of Brecon, Wales. It was built by the Norman Lord Bernard de Neufmarché in 1093, and was frequently assaulted by the Welsh in 13th and 15th centuries. The castle's ownership changed numerous times. It began falling into ruin when Henry VIII executed the last dukes of Buckingham, who at the time controlled the castle. It was renovated and made into a hotel in the early 19th century.[7]
Address: Castle Square, LD3 9DB Brecon
Usk Bridge
Bridge. The Usk Bridge in Brecon, Powys, Wales is the town's oldest route over the River Usk. It carries the B4601 road, formerly the A40, between Brecon and Llanfaes.[8]
Y Gaer
Y Gaer is a Roman fort situated near modern-day Brecon in Mid Wales, United Kingdom. Y Gaer is located at grid reference SO00332966.[9]
Plough Lane Chapel
Church in Brecon, Wales. Plough Lane Chapel or Plough United Reformed Church is a historic building in Brecon, Wales. The chapel's foundation dates to the 17th century and the structure was rebuilt in 1841, then again in 1892. Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh Government, listed the chapel as a Grade II* historic building in 1976 for its "unusual porch" and "elaborate and fine interior".
The Plough Chapel is the home of one of the oldest non-conformist congregations in Brecknockshire. The chapel takes its name from a public house called The Plough on whose site the chapel was built in the 1690s. The present building dates back to 1841 and was re-modelled by Owen Morris Roberts in 1892. Particularly notable is the beautiful woodwork of the gallery fronts and pulpit. The vestry contains memorial plaques from the former Glamorgan Street Congregational Church. Off the vestry is also the splendid “Minister’s toilet” with a lavishly decorated toilet pan.[10]
St David's Church
Church in Llanddew, Wales. St. David's Church is located in Brecon, Powys, Mid Wales.
St. David's Church was reckoned in the time of Theophilus Jones to be situated in the suburbs of the town, though formerly it was situated in a field. The fabric consists of a chancel, nave, and a tower at the west end in which are six bells.
In the aisle and chancel there used to be several stones to the memory of departed: one to John ab Rees, of Penderrin (1621), Saunders John Thomas ab leuan Llwyd (1621), Edward Williams, of Ffrwdgrech (Ki67), Margaret, wife of Walter Watkins, of Brecknock, gent. and daughter and sole heiress of Watkin John, of Heolfanog (1700); David Lloyd, of Caerau (1727), his son Peter (1745), and his wife Magdalen (1742), and other stones to the Lloyds bearing the dates 1788, 1748, 1785. There is a tablet in the church to the memory of the Rev. Theo. Evans, of Llangammarch, who afterwards became vicar of St. David's. This church was last restored in 1859, at a cost of £1,500, and contains a memorial window given by the late Colonel and Mrs. Church Pearce, in memory of their son. In 1808 three-quarters of an acre of land was consecrated for burial ground purposes by the Bishop of St. David's. The parish register dates from the year 1780.[11]