Crickhowell and the Vale of Usk:

a community revealed through archives

Situated at a crossing point on the Usk and defended by its ancient castle, Crickhowell developed as a market town at the heart of the Usk Valley agricultural community. A fertile valley flanked by sweeping mountain ridges, it attracted the landed gentry, who established their mansions and parks, and the visitors, who came to view the dramatic landscape. Yet just a few miles away iron and coal deposits were exploited and new industries established, fortunes were made and towns created, during a century of turmoil. The surviving records of the area reveal something of what it was like to live in a community subject to these influences and in changing times.

(Click on the image on the top right-hand side of this page to see a contemporary description of Crickhowell from a Parliamentary Gazetteer.)

Select from the following to explore this selection from the surviving records-

• Two Large Scale maps of the area
• The Local Estates
• The Breconshire Quarter Sessions
• The Care of the Poor
• Crickhowell British School
• A Gallery of Local Images
• New Developments in the Area

Return to Crickhowell Introduction

Text and documentation supplied by Powys County Council Archive Office