Brecon and
Abergavenny Canal
  The canal terminus at Brecon  
 

The map on this page is from a tithe map of 1841, and it shows part of the Brecon "terminus" of the canal, here coloured in blue.
By this date there were many buildings along the Watton, few of which are marked on the map.
The canal continued a little beyond the top left of this portion of map, with two more wharf areas for loading and unloading goods. Much of the most valuable trade on the Trade directory entrycanal was carried by the Brecon Boat Company, which operated 16 canal boats in 1820, each of which could carry 21 tons of coal. Their large wharf is shown top left at 1 on this map.
Tithe maps from the early Victorian years, like the one below, were drawn up to show who owned land and property for charging tithes or taxes.
The original numbers in black on this map were matched to a list of owners and tenants.


The canal
at Brecon
from the
tithe map
of 1841

The Watton [8]
is the main
route from
the east, with
its turnpike
road tollgate
shown at No 6

 Tithe map of 1841
1 Brecknock Boat Company wharf
2 Gas Works
3 Canal bridge
4 Drawbridge
5 Watton wharf
6 Watton Tollgate
7 Barracks
8 The Watton
 

Although not shown on this map, the 'Hay Railway' or tramroad, which used horse-drawn wagons running on iron rails, had its Brecon terminus at Watton wharf, marked 5 above. There the 'trams' would be loaded with coal and other goods transferred from the canal barges for delivery to Hay and other places along the line of the tramroad.
The Gasworks [2] and the loading areas around the canal at Brecon were linked by the Watton Plateway, which also carried horse-drawn goods wagons. This crossed the canal by drawbridges, one of which is marked at 4 on the map.

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