The Bulwark, Brecon
Powys County Archives

Transport

Horse-drawn Transport in Brecon

Horses were still essential for transport of goods and people, although by the end of the nineteenth century this tended to be for shorter distances than before the advent of the railways. Kelly's Directory of 1895 noted that:

"An omnibus from The Castle Hotel meets the up and down trains and conveys passengers to any part of the town."

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Powys County Archives

A widow and her son ran a local livery stables, where horse drawn vehicles were available for hire.

Powys County Archives

They may have relied on the services of Edward Dennison, a horsebreaker who trained horses for riding or pulling vehicles. His stepson was employed in another branch of the transport industry as a railway fireman:

Delivery cart for The Emporium, Llandrindod Wells, c1910.
Radnorshire Museum

A coach driver, or coachman might have worked privately for one employer such as a local landowner, or be available for general hire. William Williams also had a saddler in his household, another man dependant on the horse industry. Even his son was a grocer's haulier although this may have been a handcart rather than horse drawn transport.

Horses were also dependant on blacksmiths who were still in great demand in 1891.

Stansbatch Smithy, Radnorshire, 1930
Radnorshire Museum

Many people were also involved in the provision of coaches.