Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Tower of Medieval Town Wall to rear of No.3 Buckingham Place
Brecon, Powys, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade II*
- Broad class
- Domestic
- Date of designation
- 16 December 1976
- Town
- Brecon
- Community
- Brecon
- Unitary authority
- Powys
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates
- 51.94594, -3.39195
- Cadw reference
- 6829
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1608 "(13) Cambriae Typus." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Location
Near river, to rear of No.3 Buckingham Place, Glamorgan Street; best seen from W end of Captain's Walk.
History
In Speed's Plan of Brecknock of 1610 and Meredith Jones's Plan of 1744 five towers are shown between the Bridge Gate and Watton Gate; this is presumably the second tower to the south of Bridge Gate and is situated close to the River Usk. Theophilus Jones (1805/1809) identified this tower as "Porth y dwr issa", the "lower watergate" one of the ten "towers or turrets" of the town defences of Brecon "at the bottom of Mr Maybery's garden" and remarks that one of the town gates was underneath the tower. The tower probably dates to the C13 or C14. Recent research suggests that the gateway was inserted through an earlier structure.
Exterior
Ruined medieval tower of stone. Rectangular in plan, but very overgrown with vegetation in 2005. To each side of central opening, beginnings of springing of arch are visible.
Reason for designation
Graded II* as surviving part of Medieval defences of Brecon.
Scheduled Ancient Monument Cadw Ref BR177(POW).
Nearby in the register
- Garden Wall to rear of No.3 Buckingham Place to SE of Medieval TowerDomesticunder 1 mi
- Town Wall and Gatehouse at Captain's WalkTown Wallunder 1 mi
- Garden Wall to rear of Havard and Morgannwg HousesDomesticunder 1 mi
- Havard House, including Forecourt Wall, Railings and Gate; and Former Stable Blocks to East and WestEducationunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.