Trecastle

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Trecastle (Welsh: Trecastell) is a village in Powys, Wales, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Trecastle ("the town of the castle") is named after an early 12th century motte-and-bailey fortification [1], built by Bernard de Neufmarche and designed to protect Brecon from attack from the west. Despite this purpose, the area continued to be threatened, with Edward I of England spending three days in Trecastle quelling a revolt in 1295. The fortification still exists, and is the largest of its type in the National Park.

Trecastle is situated on the A40 trunk road between Brecon and Llandovery. Near the village is the site of Y Pigwn, a Roman overnight military camp. Much later, Trecastle was used by coach travellers as a stopping point on the route from Gloucester to Llandovery.

By the 19th century Trecastle had 8 annual fairs, its own gasworks, two schools, a grain mill, two smithies, 16 shops and numerous pubs. Between 1830 and 1914, Trecastle and Llywel (1 mile to the west) are said to have had two of the most important wool mills in Brecknockshire. However, the arrival of a railway in Sennybridge (2 miles to the east) meant that Trecastle later lost its place as the trading centre for the area.