Brecon
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Brecon, with St. Mary's Church |
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Brecon shown within Powys | |
Population | 8,250 (2011) |
OS grid reference | SO045285 |
Community |
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Principal area | |
Ceremonial county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BRECON |
Postcode district | LD3 |
Dialling code | 01874 |
Police | Dyfed-Powys |
Fire | Mid and West Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
EU Parliament | Wales |
UK Parliament | |
Welsh Assembly | |
Brecon (/ˈbrɛkən/; Welsh: Aberhonddu pronounced [ˌabɛrˈhɔnðɪ]), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town and community in Powys, Mid Wales, with a population in 2001 of 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of the County of Powys, it remains an important local centre. Brecon is the third-largest town in Powys, after Newtown and Ystradgynlais. It lies north of the Brecon Beacons mountain range, but is just within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
The Welsh name, Aberhonddu, means "mouth of the Honddu". It is derived from the River Honddu, which meets the River Usk near the town centre, a short distance away from the River Tarell which enters the Usk a few hundred metres upstream. After the Dark Ages the original Welsh name of the kingdom in whose territory Brecon stands was (in modern orthography) "Brycheiniog", which was later anglicised to Brecknock or Brecon, and probably derives from Brychan, the eponymous founder of the kingdom.