Bronllys is a village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

situated in

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

, Wales, nestled between the towns of

Brecon Brecon (; ; ), 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 county town of Breck ...

and

Talgarth Talgarth is a market town, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in southern Powys, Mid Wales, about north of Crickhowell, north-east of Brecon and south-east of Builth Wells. Notable buildings in the town include the 14th-century ...

. The village is part of the historic county of

Brecknockshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1 ...

(Breconshire) and serves as an electoral ward for Powys County Council. The community also encompasses the nearby village of Llyswen.

Description

Bronllys has recently seen infrastructure improvements with the construction of a bypass as part of the Talgarth Relief Road and Bronllys Bypass scheme, which has helped to ease traffic congestion in the area. Despite its small size, the village offers amenities such as a swimming pool, a small leisure centre, a post office, and a

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

Bronllys Castle

One of the village's notable historical landmarks is Bronllys Castle, a

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

fortress standing south of the village, towards

. The castle was originally founded around 1100 by Richard Fitz Pons, the owner of the adjacent Herefordshire barony of Clifford, who was a supporter of Bernard of Neufmarché, the Lord of Brecknock (in which the land around Bronllys fell). The castle initially featured a wooden structure typical of the motte-and-bailey design. By the time it became a crown property in 1521, Bronllys Castle had fallen into significant disrepair, a fact recorded by the antiquarian John Leland. By 1583, the castle's condition had deteriorated further. Today, the castle is managed by

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...

, the organization responsible for preserving historic monuments in Wales, and it is open to the public between April and October.

Bedo Brwynllys

The minor Welsh

bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...

Bedo Brwynllys lived in Bronllys in the 15th century. His poetry is characteristic of a follower or imitator of Dafydd ap Gwilym and is mainly love poetry or religious poetry and some eulogistic poems such as his elegy for Sir Richard Herbert of Coldbrook, written in 1469.

Governance

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 t ...

in the same name exists. This ward includes Erwood and at the 2011 Census had a total population of 1,282. The ward elects a county councillor to Powys County Council.

References

*Remfry, P.M., ''The Castles of Breconshire'' ogaston, 1999

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Bronllys and surrounding area
{{authority control Villages in Powys Cadw Castles in Powys Communities in Powys Wards of Powys