Brecon Canal 225th Anniversary

The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, known affectionately as the Mon & Brec, began life as two separate canals – the Monmouthshire Canal and the Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal.

Although the two were joined in 1812 at Poinymoile, our 225th anniversary celebrates the completion of the more northern Brecon Canal twelve years earlier when the first cargo of coal reached Brecon Basin on Christmas Eve 1800.

The Brecon Canal started near Gilwern in 1796. By 1797 it had reached Llangynidir and the first lock had been constructed, by 1799 four more locks and the 375 yard tunnel Ashford Tunnel was completed and the canal reached Talybont. Thomas Dadford’s four arched stone aqueduct across the river Usk at Brynich was opened in 1800 and by the end of the year the Brecknock & Abergavenny canal was declared open from Gilwern to Brecon.

How we will celebrate 225 years

To celebrate 225 years of the Brecon Canal with our partners we will be hosting a number of events and projects, with the local community to mark the canal's 225th anniversary.

Some of the celebrations include:

• The Canal Then & Now
• Local Primary and Secondary school projects
• School Workshops on Water Safety
• The Canal Picnic Event - improvements to our canal picnic sites
• Interpretive Exhibition on Tour to canal side communities
• Reinstatement of Heritage Bridge Signs
• Lighting Up the Canal event