The Industrial Revolution to present day
A large contributor to driving the industrial revolution in The Brecon Beacons was the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. Originally built as two canals, these linked Newport docks to Pontnewydd and Crumlin at the southern end, and Brecon to Pontymoile at the northern end.
Other wharves along the canal also served the ironworks, as well as the quarries at Llangattock and Trefil, and more distant collieries at Rhymney, which were served by the Bryn Oer tramroad and the wharf at Talybont-on-Usk.
Picture: Clydach Ironworks
Although not quite inside the National Park, Blaenavon ironworks is well worth a visit. Built in 1789, and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, the ironworks went on to become the powerhouse of the Welsh industrial revolution, and led the charge to South Wales being the World's leading iron producer at the time. It was linked to the forge at Garn Ddyrys on the other side of the Blorenge mountain by Hill's tramroad. This forge, of which only overgrown foundations and a large slag heap remain, operated for 50 years, producing wrought iron from pig iron brought across from the Blaenavon, before being moved nearer to the ironworks at Forgeside.
The Chartist Rebellion of 1839, although not specifically linked to the National Park, does have an association with the Chartist cave above Trefil, where arms and secret meetings were held before the Newport uprising – it's a good test of your navigation skills to find it!
Picture - Gunpowder Works, Pontneddfechan
Assisting all the mining and quarrying operations of the time were the Gunpowder Works situated alongside the Afon Mellte at Pontneddfechan, which began operation in 1862 and continued until 1931 when the works were decommissioned and the buildings destroyed for safety.
Around this time the railways came to the area, with the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway - which was started in 1860 and partly ran along Hills' Tramroad which linked Nantyglo ironworks to the Monmoushire and Brecon Canal at Govilon wharf – and the Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway, which was started in 1859. The Brecon and Merthyr Railway also opened in 1859; after leaving Merthyr Tydfil it crossed two impressive viaducts at Cefn Coed (built in 1866) and Pontsarn (built in 1868) before running through the highest tunnel in Great Britain at 1313 feet above sea level, where it crossed into the Talybont valley above Pontsticill. By 1964 the last of these railways had closed to passengers, and many have now had roads built over them. The exception to this is the Brecon Mountain Railway, which although now a narrow gauge railway which only came into being over thirty years ago, runs along the line of the old Brecon and Merthyr Railway.
Picture - Brecon Mountain Railway
With the onset of World War II, military training began in the area and some of the sad, less visible remains from this period lie in the wrecks of WWII aircraft among the hills and mountains. Although very little now remains, wrecks include fighters, bombers and training aircraft.
In 1939 the Epynt area bordering the National Park, to the north of Trecastle and Sennybridge was requisitioned , and in 1940 it became a Royal Artillery Practice Camp. Still very much in use today, it is the third largest training camp in the UK and live firing takes place on approximately 260 days each year. Troops on training exercises can regularly be seen in and around the hills of the National Park, particularly on the Brecon Beacons themselves.
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