Sennybridge

One factor that influenced the growth of Sennybridge was the Neath and Brecon Railway, which opened a station in the adjoining village of Defynnog in 1867.{{cite book|author1=Briwnant Jones G |author2=Dunstone D |author3=Watkins T |title= The Neath and Brecon Railway: A History|publisher=Gomer|year=2005|isbn=1-84323-452-1}} The promoter and contractor of the railway, John Dickson, also made a start on constructing a railway north from Sennybridge that would have linked the Neath and Brecon Railway to the Central Wales Line at Llangammarch Wells but work was suspended on his bankruptcy in 1867 and never resumed. The partially completed earthworks can still be seen in the countryside north of Sennybridge.

In an earlier era, in about 1821 the Brecon Forest Tramroad started construction. The northern terminus of the route from the Swansea Valley (via Crai) was at Castell-Du Farm at Sennybridge. The tramroad, operated by horse-drawn wagons, came down to a loading platform adjacent to the modern A40 road at the west end of the village. The modern alignment of the A40 road was only made possible (as a turnpike road) when the bridge across the Senni was built. Prior to this, the road west to Llandovery went down to the River Usk and crossed it by the ford at Rhyd y Briw, which must have been subject to the state of the river! The ramp down to the ford and the line of the ford across the Usk is still visible.

The earthworks for the tramroad can be seen on the west side of the road from Defynnog to Crai, although care is needed in the interpretation as some of the earthworks were re-used for the later Neath and Brecon Railway.

{{Weather box

|location = Sennybridge, Elevation: {{convert|307|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, 1991–2020 normals

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|width = auto

|Jan high C = 6.0

|Feb high C = 6.4

|Mar high C = 8.7

|Apr high C = 11.6

|May high C = 14.7

|Jun high C = 17.2

|Jul high C = 18.8

|Aug high C = 18.5

|Sep high C = 16.2

|Oct high C = 12.5

|Nov high C = 8.9

|Dec high C = 6.4

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = 3.3

|Feb mean C = 3.4

|Mar mean C = 5.1

|Apr mean C = 7.3

|May mean C = 10.1

|Jun mean C = 12.8

|Jul mean C = 14.5

|Aug mean C = 14.2

|Sep mean C = 12.1

|Oct mean C = 9.2

|Nov mean C = 5.9

|Dec mean C = 3.7

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 0.6

|Feb low C = 0.5

|Mar low C = 1.5

|Apr low C = 2.9

|May low C = 5.5

|Jun low C = 8.3

|Jul low C = 10.2

|Aug low C = 10.0

|Sep low C = 8.0

|Oct low C = 5.9

|Nov low C = 3.0

|Dec low C = 1.0

|year low C =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 171.8

|Feb precipitation mm = 136.0

|Mar precipitation mm = 117.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 94.8

|May precipitation mm = 93.7

|Jun precipitation mm = 90.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 102.3

|Aug precipitation mm = 112.6

|Sep precipitation mm = 116.9

|Oct precipitation mm = 168.7

|Nov precipitation mm = 168.8

|Dec precipitation mm = 192.1

|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 18.8

|Feb precipitation days = 15.5

|Mar precipitation days = 14.8

|Apr precipitation days = 13.6

|May precipitation days = 13.3

|Jun precipitation days = 12.4

|Jul precipitation days = 13.9

|Aug precipitation days = 15.1

|Sep precipitation days = 13.4

|Oct precipitation days = 17.2

|Nov precipitation days = 18.6

|Dec precipitation days = 18.8

|year precipitation days = 185.3

|source = Met Office{{cite web

| url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcm2jvb2g

| title = Sennybridge Climate

| accessdate = 25 April 2024

|publisher = Met Office}}

}}

An extensive area of land to the north of Sennybridge is used by the Ministry of Defence for military training purposes. Sennybridge Camp and Army Field Training Centre, known as SENTA, is one of the major bases for Infantry Warfare Training by the British Army in the UK.

Sennybridge's primary school, which houses a Welsh Language Unit, utilises the old Secondary Modern buildings in the village. Although the school is in Sennybridge, it continued to be named Defynnog Primary School until the 1980s when its name was changed to Sennybridge Primary School.

• William Rees-Thomas CB FRCP FRSM (1887–1978), a Welsh psychiatrist was born in Senny.
• Tom Rees, born in 1895, at Cefnbrynich, near the town, was the first official victim of the "Red Baron"—German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen.
• Rhydian Roberts (born 1983), a baritone singer, TV presenter and musical theatre actor; finished second in The X Factor (British series 4).{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/halloffame/showbiz/rhydianroberts.shtml|title=Rhydian Roberts|publisher=BBC}} {{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/halloffame/showbiz/rhydianroberts.shtml |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 February 2012 |archive-date=13 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113175911/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/halloffame/showbiz/rhydianroberts.shtml |url-status=bot: unknown }}
• Margaret Clifford had her Smooth Fox Terrier kennels in Castle Road, Sennybridge - from this location, she won Best of Breed at Crufts 2007 ([https://www.fossedata.co.uk/show-results/crufts/Archive/default.aspx?Year=2007 results]) with her dog Migley Sirrah Jack - a local newspaper billboard stated "Senny Pooch is Top Dog".

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090928012644/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/webguide/pages/sennybridge.shtml BBC Mid Wales webguide to Sennybridge]
• [https://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=5973780 Photos of Sennybridge and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk]

{{Powys}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Villages in Powys

Category:River Usk

Category:Fforest Fawr

{{Powys-geo-stub}}