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Crickhowell (; cy, Crucywel , non-standard spelling ') is a town and community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near
Abergavenny Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...
, and is in the historic county of
Brecknockshire , image_flag= , HQ= Brecon , Government= Brecknockshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= Brycheiniog , Status= , Start= 1535 , End= ...
.


Location

The town lies on the
River Usk The River Usk (; cy, Afon Wysg) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it fl ...
, on the southern edge of the Black Mountains and in the eastern part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Significant parts of the surrounding countryside, over , form part of the Glanusk Park estate.


Etymology and language

The name Crickhowell is an anglicised spelling that corresponds to the
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
Crucywel. The name is derived from
Crug Hywel Crug Hywel is an Iron Age Celtic hillfort, with a clearly visible earth and stone ditch and rampart. Crug Hywel is approached by a couple of public footpaths across farmland from Crickhowell and Llanbedr and visited by the Beacons Way. It lies wi ...
, meaning 'Hywel's mound'. This is usually identified with the Iron Age hill fort on nearby Table Mountain, although this has the local name of Mynydd y Begwn. It may be that Crug Hywel refers to the castle mound in the town itself. The language of Crickhowell (and Llangynidr) was originally Welsh. In his 1893 book ''Wales and her language'', John E. Southall, reports that over 60% of the population of Crickhowell spoke Welsh, although the town was only a few miles from more anglicised Abergavenny.


The town

Public services in Crickhowell are provided by Powys County Council and to a lesser extent by Crickhowell Town Council. Planning matters fall to the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. There is a primary school and a
secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
; both act as a central point for a large catchment area. There is some light industry on the outskirts of Crickhowell at the Elvicta Industrial Estate. The town centre includes a variety of traditional businesses, many of which are family owned. Other facilities in Crickhowell include a library, two play areas, public toilets and the CRiC building, which houses a tourist information centre, an internet cafe, an art gallery and a local history archive. There are pubs, cafes, restaurants and two hotels: " The Bear" and "The Dragon". The churches in Crickhowell include St Edmund's Church which holds a service every Sunday, Crickhowell Evangelical Church, a Baptist church and a Catholic church. In 2015, Crickhowell appeared in a TV documentary, claiming it as the first British settlement to purposely use similar tax avoidance tactics used by multinational businesses to avoid paying taxes themselves, in protest at the way large corporations use legal loopholes to avoid paying UK corporation tax. A market and fair have been recorded since 1281.


Governance

An
electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
in the same name exists. This ward includes
The Vale of Grwyney The Vale of Grwyney is a community in Powys, Wales. It follows most of the border between Powys and Monmouthshire. It takes its name from the river Grwyney (in Welsh, Grwyne) which flows through it into the River Usk. The river Grwyney has tw ...
community and has a total population of 2,801 as of the 2011 census. The current councillor is John Morris, a Liberal Democrat.


Tourism

Today, Crickhowell is a popular tourist destination. In 2005 a tourist information centre was built in the centre of town and during summer the town is notably busier. Many people visit Crickhowell to see the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons, and perhaps to enjoy some
mountain-biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and per ...
, camping, hillwalking,
rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...
, fly-fishing, hang-gliding or caravanning, or simply to tour the area by car, staying in bed-and-breakfast accommodation. The Green Man Festival takes place annually in mid-August at nearby Glanusk Park.


Notable buildings

Notable features in Crickhowell include the seventeenth-century stone bridge over the
River Usk The River Usk (; cy, Afon Wysg) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it fl ...
with its odd arches (twelve on one side, thirteen on the other) and its seat built into the walls, the 14th-century parish church of
St Edmund Saint Edmund may refer to: * Saint Edmund the Martyr (d. 869), king of East Anglia who was venerated as a martyr saint soon after his death at the hands of Vikings * Saint Edmund Arrowsmith (1585–1628), Jesuit, one of the Forty Martyrs of England ...
, and the ruins of Crickhowell Castle on the green "tump" set back from the A40 Brecon to
Abergavenny Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...
road.


Market Hall

Crickhowell Market Hall Crickhowell Market Hall ( cy, Neuadd y Farchnad Crucywel), formerly Crickhowell Town Hall ( cy, Neuadd y Dref Crucywel), is a municipal building in the High Street, Crickhowell, Powys, Wales. The structure, which accommodates market stalls on th ...
(originally the Town Hall) on The Square dates from 1834, nowadays with market stalls on the ground floor and a cafe in the first floor old courtroom. In 2007 Powys County Council handed over responsibility of the hall to a charity, the Market Hall Trust. The stone building, raised on twin doric columns, is Grade II* listed.


Schools

Crickhowell has two schools: Crickhowell Community Primary School and a
secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
,
Crickhowell High School Crickhowell High School is an English medium co-educational secondary school situated in the town of Crickhowell in the county of Powys, Wales, within the Brecon Beacons National Park. The school was built to meet the needs of the growing commun ...
.


Notable people

George Everest, after whom Mount Everest is named, may have been born near Crickhowell. His father had an estate there called "Gwernvale Manor". This is now a hotel, known simply as 'The Manor'.) Admiral John Gell died here in 1806 after serving over 30 years in the Royal Navy. The Glanusk Park estate was the childhood home of the former royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who still lives near the town as proprietor of Tŷ'r Chanter bed and breakfast lodgings.


Golf course

The former Crickhowell & Penmyarth Golf Club was founded in 1897 and played on a course at Glanusk Park. The club and course disappeared in the late 1960s.


Surrounding villages

* Cwmdu *
Glangrwyney Glangrwyney or Glangrwyne is a village southeast of Crickhowell in Powys, Wales. The village is where the Grwyne Fawr has its confluence with the River Usk, southeast of the Sugar Loaf and at the junction of the road from Gilwern with the A40 ...
* Llanbedr *
Llangattock Llangattock ( cy, Llangatwg) is a village, community and electoral ward in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, Wales. It lies in the Usk Valley just across the river from the town of Crickhowell. The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal passe ...
*
Llangenny Llangenny ( cy, Llangenau) is a village in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Powys, Wales. It is in the lower reaches of the Grwyne Fawr. The Vale of Grwyney community consists of Glangrwyney, Llanbedr, and Llangenny. Three features in Llangenny ...
*
Llangynidr Llangynidr is a village, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales, about west of Crickhowell and south-east of Brecon. The River Usk flows through the village as does the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. It is in the historic county of B ...
* Tretower Tretower Castle and
Tretower Court Tretower Court () is a medieval fortified manor house in Wales, situated in the village of Tretower, near Crickhowell in modern-day Powys, previously within the historical county of Breconshire or Brecknockshire. Local & national importance T ...
, a manor house still in very good condition
Cwrt y Gollen Cwrt-y-Gollen ("Hazel Court") is a British Army training base, 2 miles (3 km) south-east of Crickhowell and just north of the A40 road and the River Usk, in southeastern Powys, Wales. History Cwrt-y-Gollen became the regional centre for inf ...
, a British Army training base, is near Crickhowell.


References


External links


Crickhowell visitor website
*David John Addi
BBC feature on Crickhowell castlePhotos of Crickhowell and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
{{authority control Towns in Powys Communities in Powys Black Mountains, Wales River Usk