The last passenger train left Brecon Station in late December 1962. Since then, evidence of the railways and the station have slowly but surely disappeared. The main Brecon Station site is now occupied by Abbeyfield House, a member of Abbeyfield England which is a national charity providing homes to older people.

In the grounds of Abbeyfield House can be found one of the “Brecon” signs (known as ‘running boards’) that originally stood to the east of the main station building, on the middle platform. The sign would have been seen by countless passengers arriving at Brecon from Merthyr, further north in Wales or from the Midlands for almost one hundred years. Since the closure of the station, the sign has been in the care of Abbeyfield House and is still situated in almost its original position.

The sign was last restored by the Breconshire Railway Society about 30 years ago. Unfortunately, it has slowly deteriorated to the extent that Abbeyfield trustee Penelope Weston decided that something had to be done. Poppy, as Penelope is known locally, put out an appeal for help to restore the sign to its former glory.

The appeal was picked up by Roger Reese and Roger Young. The two Rogers set up the Llyn Syfaddan History Group in 2014 and are both enthusiastic about our railway heritage. As the History Group is celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year, taking on the restoration of the sign was felt to be a fitting way to mark the anniversary and save an important piece of Brecon’s heritage. Peter Jenkins of Brecon Rotary provided historical information to support the project.

Following a close examination of the sign, it was obvious that it had deteriorated so badly that restoring it would require removing it from Abbeyfield House to completely rebuild it. Bear in mind that the sign was 10 feet long, 2 feet deep and 2 inches thick and weighed a considerable amount. Its two support posts had also rotted so would need replacing as well. This was not going to be an easy task.

Fortunately, plenty of help was at hand. Jason Jenkins, director of B. Jenkins & Sons Ltd, offered to donate the oak wood needed to rebuild the sign. Jason had a personal connection to the project as his late grandfather, Mervyn Jenkins, was instrumental in organising the previous restoration and was also a trustee of Abbeyfield House at that time.

The next source of help came from Brecon Men’s Shed whose 'can do' approach gave the project a big boost. It was at this point that the two Rogers realised that their daunting project was now beginning to look achievable! Brecon Men’s Shed members Nigel O’Shea, Phil Lewis, Anthony Carey, Pierre Deville and Vernon Shiebie provided technical and physical support throughout the project.

Once the sign had been dismantled, the metal letters were taken for cleaning and painting by Pierre Deville whilst work began on the construction of the new sign structure. This was undertaken by local builder and carpenter, Dai Rees. Because of the size and weight of the wood this was by far the most challenging part of the project. To everyone’s surprise, Dai managed to complete the structure and supporting legs within two weeks.

It took three people to carry and load the sign onto a vintage flatbed Thames truck. This was driven by Roger Young to the sign’s next destination for painting. In order to ensure the longevity of the sign, it was important that the painting wasn’t rushed. All the wood was prepared for painting, primed and two coats of undercoat were then followed by three coats of gloss. The top coat colours were the same as the previous cream and chocolate which were the colours used by the Great Western Railway company. Meanwhile, Pierre had finished the letters and these were affixed to the structure. Pierre, assisted by Roger Reese, completed the remaining painting including the supporting legs so that the sign was ready to be re-assembled. The restored sign was erected in the original location at Abbeyfield House by local builder Ian O’Shea helped by a small team from the Men’s Shed and Brecon Rotary.

Before and after photos of Brecon Station's sign

“Our aim was to ensure that the sign would be restored to the highest standard and be capable of withstanding the worst of our weather for many years to come. Whilst it was not possible to recreate the sign in exact detail of the original, it was important to retain the spirit of the steam age and act as a permanent reminder of our wonderful heritage. Llyn Syfaddan History Group is grateful to all those who have supported this project which has shown the strength of our community spirit. We feel sure that the residents of Abbeyfield House will continue to enjoy this wonderful reminder of our past for many a day to come! ”

Roger Reese

On Tuesday, 11^th June, the sign was unveiled to a gathering of Abbeyfield House residents, staff and those who worked on the project, in the presence of Brecon Mayor John Powell.

“We are delighted to have this handsome and authentic sign outside Abbeyfield, to remind Brecon people of the proud days of rai, and warmly thank all those who have made it possible."

Poppy, Abbeyfield House Trustee

Last Tuesday Trustees and residents of Abbeyfield House and members of the Llyn Syfaddan History Society and their guests, including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, came together to celebrate the installation of the restored historic Brecon Station sign near to its original site. The sign has been completely re-built to its original form, thanks to the initiative of Roger Reese and Roger Young of the History Society, in a project to celebrate its 10th anniversary.  The project has been supported by a number of groups, including Jenkins and Co who supplied the wood, the Mens’ Shed, Dai Rees, Vernon Shibie and Pierre Devillewho worked on the reconstruction, and Brecon Rotary.  ‘The sign now looks just as it did before the station closed in 1962’, Roger Reese explained, ‘or even better, with its new paint. It should last many years, a distinctive reminder of Brecon’s important railway heritage’.

Penelope Weston, Chair of Abbeyfield

Written by Roger Reese