Talybont-on-Usk ( cy, Tal-y-bont ar Wysg) is a village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...

, Wales, in the historic county of Brecknockshire. It lies on both the Caerfanell river and the

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal ( cy, Camlas Sir Fynwy a Brycheiniog) is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its currently (2018) navigable length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park, and its present rural ch ...

, about from the River Usk. In 2001, it had a population of 743, reducing to 719 at the 2011 census. The community includes the settlements of

Llansantffraed Llansantffraed (Llansantffraed-juxta-Usk) is a parish in the community of Talybont-on-Usk in Powys, Wales, near Brecon. The benefice of Llansantffraed with Llanrhystud and Llanddeiniol falls within the Diocese of St Davids in the Church in Wale ...

, Scethrog, Aber Village, and Pencelli.

History

Allt yr Esgair is a steep-sided hill to the north east of Talybont, and has an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

settlement on the summit. There are other Iron Age and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

sites in the vicinity, and a Roman road flanks the slopes of Allt yr Esgair. A small castle was built at Pencelli during the Norman invasion, and this was later replaced by the sixteenth century Pencelli House. The canal was built around 1800 to transport lime, coal and iron to Newport. There are some

lime kilns A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone ( calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this reaction is : CaCO3 + heat → CaO + CO2 This reaction can take pl ...

to the east of the village, and a

tramroad A plateway is an early kind of railway, tramway or wagonway, where the rails are made from cast iron. They were mainly used for about 50 years up to 1830, though some continued later. Plateways consisted of "L"-shaped rails, where the flange ...

was built to transport limestone from the crags above. The language of Tal-y-bont (and 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 the area spoke Welsh, although the town was only a few miles from more anglicised Abergavenny. Gravestones with Welsh inscriptions are found in and just outside Talybont.

The village

The village is located on the B4558 road about southeast of

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

and northwest of

Crickhowell Crickhowell (; cy, Crucywel , non-standard spelling ') is a town and community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near Abergavenny, and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. Location The town lies on the River Usk, on the southern edge ...

. It is a mile from the River Usk and on the

and is connected to the A40 trunk road on the other side of the Usk by a short section of unclassified road. The village has a shop and several pubs. The valley one mile south of the village is dammed to form the Talybont Reservoir. This has a dam and there are forest trails in its vicinity. Talybont-on-Usk is a popular place for walkers and offers the

Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfo ...

walk through the nearby countryside where the 18th century poet once lived. Another walk can be followed along the line of the former Brinore Tramroad which runs south from the canalside wharf in the village around the western flanks of Y Wenallt and Tor y Foel before heading to

Trefil Trefil is a small village in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, south Wales. It lies at the top of the Sirhowy Valley, near to Brecon Beacons National Park. It is three miles northwest of Tredegar. With one public house, The Top House, serving ...

via the head of the Dyffryn Crawnon valley.

Governance

The Talybont-on-Usk electoral ward covers Talybont-on Usk and the neighbouring communities of

Glyn Tarell Glyn Tarell is a valley and a community in the county of Powys, Wales, and the historic county of Brecknockshire. It is in the Brecon Beacons National Park and at the northern edge of the Brecon Beacons mountains. Description The valley is on th ...

and

Llanfrynach Llanfrynach is a village and community in the county of Powys, Wales, and the historic county of Brecknockshire. The population of the community as taken at the 2011 census was 571. It lies just to the southeast of Brecon in the Brecon Beacons N ...

. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 1,923. It elects one

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

Powys County Council Powys County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Powys) is the local authority for Powys, one of the administrative areas of Wales. The County Hall is in Llandrindod Wells. History The county of Powys was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Govern ...

. As of 2022, the current councillor is Anita Cartwright of the

Welsh Liberal Democrats The Welsh Liberal Democrats ( cy, Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru) are a branch of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats that operates in Wales. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who served as MP for Brecon and Radnorshire from August to Decemb ...

. Talybont-on-Usk

Community Council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. In ...

represents the community at the local level. Up to nine community councillors are elected or co-opted to the council.

Notable residents

* Fred Miller (born 1873; date of death unknown), Welsh international rugby player, born in Talybont-on-Usk * David Lewis, 1st Baron Brecon, (1905–1976), a Welsh businessman and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician * Roland Mathias (1915-2007), poet and short story writer. * Patrick Duff (born 1966), singer-songwriter, wrote much of the Strangelove album '' Love and Other Demons'' whilst living in a cottage just outside the village

Tourism

In 2014, it was the venue for the Linux Bier Wanderung.

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Talybont-on-Usk and surrounding areaTalybont-on-Usk
{{authority control Villages in Powys Brecon Beacons Communities in Powys