A capacity audience of 120 people was fascinated by talks and an exhibition held at Llangors Community Hall on Friday, September 17 to mark the centenary of a nationally-important archaeological find - the Llangors Log Boat.

The event, organised by the Llyn Syfaddan History Group and the Brecknock Society, marked the discovery in September 1925 of a 9th century dugout boat in Llangors Lake by Thomas Jenkins, proprietor of the pleasure boats on the Lake.

Dr Mervyn Bramley of the Brecknock Society and volunteer at the Museum in y Gaer Brecon, and Bob Hansel, great nephew of Jenkins, told the story of the recovery of the well-preserved 15ft-long Llangors Log Boat from the lake by Thomas Jenkins. Through a fortunate sequence of events, Thomas Jenkins contacted local historian Lord Glanusk who immediately purchased the Log Boat for display in Breconshire and then arranged for it to be conserved in the newly-established National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, where experts confirmed its national-importance. Lord Glanusk and Brecknock Society colleagues went on to set up the Brecknock Museum which opened in 1928 with the Llangors Log Boat as a prized item on display.

Subsequent archaeological research has established that the Llangors Log Boat was almost certainly associated with the Llangors Crannog - an artificial island close to the north shore of the Lake which housed a llys - royal court - of the Kingdom of Brycheiniog. The settlement was brought to an abrupt end in 916 AD when it was sacked by Mercian troops from over the border.

Those attending the centenary event and, earlier in the day, Year 6 pupils from Llangors Primary School, were treated to viewing a full-size replica of the Llangors Log Boat outside the Community Hall arranged by Roger Reese, Chair of the History Group, and Nigel Gervis of Ty Mawr Lime, its current owner. The replica was hewn from a 3-tonne log of oak in 1993 as part of a Channel 4 ‘Time Team’ programme investigating the archaeology of Llangors Lake. Tony (now Sir Tony) Robinson and his Time Team were based in Llangasty at Ty Mawr near the south of the Lake over their three-day visit at the end of which the replica boat was successfully launched and paddled on the Lake. Channel 4 has kindly given the permission for video clips from the programme to be used to mark the centenary.

The Llangors Log Boat and Crannog are only one part of the diverse historic, natural and recreational environment around Llangors Lake - the largest natural water body in South Wales. However, local history groups in the Brecknock History Forum felt the need for more easily-accessible information about the Lake for visitors and the local community. So, to coincide with the centenary of the discovery of the Llangors Log Boat, a 64-page well-illustrated booklet on ‘Llangors Lake - Past and Present’ has been written and published by Brecknock History Forum members Alison Noble and Elaine Starling. The booklet, which was launched at the centenary event, is available price £5 from Visit Brecon, Crickhowell CRiC Centre, Llangors Community Shop and y Gaer Brecon.

The original Llangors Log Boat is on permanent display in the Museum in y Gaer. Its display has been enhanced to mark the centenary with an information banner about the discovery and a view screen showing images and video clips about Thomas Jenkins and the Log Boat the Time Team making the replica. A talk on Llangors Lake - Past and Present will be advertised in the Brecknock Society’s programme of Saturday Talks @ Y Gaer in Spring 2026 and will include Ty Mawr Lime putting the replica log boat on display outside y Gaer for public viewing.