George Overton: Overtaken by Steam

This month's talk - George Overton - Overtaken by Steam

This talk by engineering historians Stephen K Jones and Stephen Rowsonwill cover the achievements of George Overton (1775 - 1827) - the early civil engineer and ironmaster who lived at Llandetty Hall near Talybont-on-Usk.

Overton pioneered the use of tramroads for horse-drawn transport of materials in the Industrial Revolution when his expertise in civil engineering helped to shape transport infrastructure in south Wales. His Merthyr Tramroad was also used to trial the world’s first working steam locomotive in 1804. Locally, he engineered the Brinore Tramroad, which connected the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal at Talybont-on-Usk with the Tredegar ironworks and Trefil limestone quarries. Overton also carried out the initial survey for the Stockton and Darlington Railway as a horse-drawn tramroad in the early 1820s - his work was taken over by George Stephenson who modified the route which became the world's first public steam-powered railway for passengers and goods in 1825.

George Overton’s contribution to railway engineering was celebrated in 2025 with the 250th anniversary of his birth and the bicentenary of the birth of the modern railway - ‘Railway 200’.Our December talk is a celebration of the harp with our favourite local harpist Martha Powell. There'll be a festive feel with music and refreshments.

Free

All welcome

About The Brecknock Society and Museum Friends

Since it was founded in 1928, the Brecknock Society has been studying and promoting the history and culture of the historic county of Brecknock. It gives particular support to the Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery, and as Museum Friends, seeks to assist its operation and development.

The Society arranges lectures, meetings, exhibitions, and other events, to which all are welcome. The most notable of these events is the annual Sir John Lloyd Memorial Lecture, one of the most significant lectures of its kind in Wales. In recent years, speakers have included: Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, speaking on justice in Breconshire over the centuries; the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, speaking on the work of local seventeenth-century poet, Henry Vaughan; Mr Richard Suggett from the Royal Commission, speaking on the vernacular buildings of Breconshire; and Professor Anne Curry, speaking on the battle of Agincourt and its Breconshire connections.

The Society publishes an annual journal, Brycheiniog, which reflects the activities of the Society and seeks to stimulate a wider understanding of the history, archaeology, literature, and arts of the former county of Brecknock.

https://www.brecknocksociety.wales/