| Disease hits the town in 1854 | ||
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In
the Victorian period towns across the whole of Britain grew rapidly as
people moved into them from the countryside to work in new industries.
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| Although
Brecon had some fine new buildings in the early Victorian period, the houses
for the poorer working people were on the whole cramped,
damp and badly ventilated.
A report of 1845 said Bailey Glas, Kensington, the head of the Struet, and Heol Hwnt in Llanfaes were the worse affected. These conditions were bad enough in themselves but even worse they were perfect for the spread of disease. Another problem was the lack of clean drinking water. The town got its water from an open reservoir below the Priory churchyard. |
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The water was pumped into it from
the river and then fed around the town through pipes. Because it was open,
dirt and leaves blew into it and the river water itself was often muddy
and full of debris. Cholera
was a disease which first came to Britain just before Victoria came to
the throne. In the years which followed there were deadly outbreaks in
many cities and minor outbreaks in Brecon. |
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More about cholera in Brecon...
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