|
|
|
Brechfa,
(Meaning: WELSH
"mottled place") hidden in the Cothi valley north east of
Carmarthen, has been described as one of the most secluded
villages in South Wales. It has existed since the 6th century and
has a long and fascinating history. The village lies close to the
Brechfa Forest, densely forested and still a working forest. It
once was an important hunting ground for the nobility who hunted
in the remote forest of ash and oak, making the village wealthy
by accommodating the nobility and the collection of tolls.
In the 1930s a camp was built for
unemployed workers from the
South Wales valleys, one of a number of so-called Instructional
Centres run by the Ministry of Labour. The Brechfa camp provided
the accommodation for men sent to build roads for the Forestry
Commission. With unemployment declining in the face of impending
war the camp was used to house Basque refugees from the Spanish
Civil War. A video, "The Guernica Children - Refugee Children in
Brechfa 1937/38" is available on the Photo Albums
& Video Clips
page.
One of the oldest buildings in Brechfa is the 17th
Century "Ty Mawr" (Big House) now the Ty Mawr Country Hotel. In
the 1840s and 1850s Ty Mawr was the home of Caleb Chivers who ran
the
Brechfa Chemical Works which provided work for many Brechfa
people from the mid-nineteenth century up to the end of the First
World War. It is believed that in 1843, during the Rebecca riots
Dragoons, brought into West Wales to quell the rioters were
quartered there. These same Light Dragoons, just eleven years
later, in 1854 as part of the British army's Light Brigade, rode
to their deaths at Balaclava during the Crimea War. Ty Mawr
also housed the 'Brechfa Academy' (1857
- 1868). In 1871 Ty
Mawr was occupied by 3 families, (21 people). A lot of timber was
removed from the house to provide fuel and materials for the
Industrial Revolution in South Wales.
The Church of St Teilo in the centre of Brechfa Village is fairly
modern, built in 1893 to replace the original building that dated
back (in part) to the 6th Century. Parts of the old building were
included in the new and the present church has a warm and
welcoming atmosphere. The church in Brechfa has a fascinating
history, being founded by St Teilo, one of three missionary
bishops who brought Christianity to the green valleys of West
Wales in the 6th century. At times it served as a grange of
Talley
Abbey.
The field adjacent to the churchyard is known as Cae'r Palasau (field
of palaces), probably referring to the buried remains of grange
buildings.
Another historic building is The Forest Arms Inn. On 24th of
April 1843 a meeting of the Brechfa Trust, who managed the
collection of tolls on turnpike roads in the area was held at The
Forest Arms. The tollgates would later be battered down by angry
'Daughters
of
Rebecca' in the riots of the 1840s.
In more recent times the Forest Arms public house was the focus
for the gentry from many areas of the United Kingdom who came for
the fishing on the river Cothi and game shooting in Brechfa
Forest. Sadly the Forest
Arms has been closed for some
time but refurbishment plans have been submitted and it may re open in
2008.
Brechfa has a thriving community, and a good mix of Welsh/English
inhabitants. There is a well subscribed Primary School and a
thriving community shop.
Brechfa Forest (18,000 acres) is excellent for
horse-riding,exploring and mountain biking. In 2006 the first of
3 Mountain Bike trails, the 22km Gorlech red route was opened to
the public. It has quickly gained recognition as one of the best.
Good local pubs/restaurants & beaches are within easy drive.
Detailed visitor information can be found on the Brechfa
Forest
website. Established walks on local hills and Brecon Beacons
(Black Mountain 15 miles to east). Carmarthen (25 min) has
railway station and most shops, including Tesco, Morrison's, PC
World, B&Q, Currys, etc. Swansea 45 min drive.
Brechfa
and
Local Villages Information provides links to more detailed
information on much of the above and local history such as:-
"Brechfa, once the home of the oil industry"
"Bob the Raven", one time both the scourge and the delight of
Brechfa.
"Pencrugmelyn" One of the finest views in Great Britain.
There are also links to information relating to the surrounding
villages of NANT-Y-FFIN, ABERGORLECH, FELINGWM-(UCHAF & ISAF)
and GWERNOGLE.
Brechfa has been the birthplace of, home to, or a place to stay a
while for many successful people across a broad spectrum
including Thomas Evans Jeremy of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (Brechfa has a predominant place in Welsh
Mormon History), Kate Baillie, writer and travel-guide author,
Richard Boothby, Bachelor of Music and Professor of viola da
gamba in Royal College of Music, Lynne Denman, singer with
Ffynnon, Rock group Marillion and Kosheen's Sian Evans. For
further information and a comprehensive listing go to People of
Brechfa.
Brechfa and other villages historic and post 2003 photographs
plus video clips can be found on the Photo
Albums
&
Video Clips page. Excellent video footage and links to
organisations involved in the return of the Red Squirrel to
Wales, in part due to the efforts of Brechfa's Huw Denman, can
also be found under Brechfa Video.
Please Note. Some local link
pages have been
produced in the jpeg or gif format and may not appear when
selected with Internet Explorer. They may be replaced by a small
icon in the top left hand corner. If this happens please follow
this link to Microsoft
for
information on how to resolve the problem.
|
