Crickhowell in Powys, Wales, has been named as the UK’s Best High Street, and is a place where small businesses thrive and locals are fiercely proud of their town centre
A charming market town boasts one of Britain’s finest independent high streets.
Crickhowell in Wales has earned recognition as a thriving hub for small businesses. The town has claimed the UK’s Best High Street award and bucks the national trend with its well-loved and frequently visited shops. Remarkably, Crickhowell has no vacant units on its High Street, which features family-run establishments that have been in operation for generations.
For those seeking a peaceful pint, The Bear comes highly recommended. This historic pub spans more than six centuries and features a cobbled forecourt with an ancient archway opening onto an interior courtyard. The Good Pub Guide crowned it Inn of the Year in 2010. Though considerably younger, Webbs has been woven into the town’s fabric since 1936. The enterprise began when its founder launched a paraffin delivery service, before transforming into a hardware and ironmongers that steadily grew over the decades into today’s department store. Local commentators describe Webbs as “the grande dame of Crickhowell’s shopping scene.”
The town offers an impressive array of outstanding retailers, including Black Mountains Smokery, Minster Auctions, the award-winning Bacchus Off Licence and Antur Brew, a microbrewery, tap room and bottle shop situated on the Elvicta Estate just outside Crickhowell. In an age where the high street is slowly dying, with chain stores, vape shops and betting outlets increasingly taking over, towns like Crickhowell – where independent businesses genuinely dominate the town centre and are cherished by residents – are becoming increasingly rare.
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Visit Crickhowell describes what makes the town unique. “Crickhowell High Street is one of the few shopping streets left in the country where local businesses sell local produce and local products. It recalls a long-lost era when all high streets reflected the character of their town and had their own identity. Here you will be welcomed by friendly and knowledgeable shopkeepers who take a real pride in what they sell,” its website states.
The Telegraph recently ranked Crickhowell amongst the top ten high streets in Britain. “Crickhowell is tiny, but you’ll nevertheless stop every few metres to nose around its shops… Locals have staunchly resisted the tidal wave of chains and here the great British high street lives on, with a butcher, baker and a sprinkling of independent shops from delis to art galleries and bookshops. A vision of pastel-painted Georgian loveliness, Crickhowell feels especially festive in the blue of dusk, when there’s a nip in the air and the lights are aglow in its houses and pubs,” the newspaper wrote.
Crickhowell also boasts a rich historical heritage. Crickhowell Castle began as a motte-and-bailey structure, likely constructed in the 12th century, before Sir Grimbald Pauncefote rebuilt it in stone in 1272. Whilst only remnants survive today, the Grade I listed Porth-Mawr two-storey gatehouse remains beautifully preserved and is definitely worth visiting.
These qualities have endeared the town to residents, who shared with WalesOnline why they hold it in such high regard. One local remarked: “It’s no surprise to see Crickhowell on the list, considering the Brecon Beacons town was crowned Best High Street of the Year in 2018.”
The town may be small, but it is mighty. In 2022, there was just one chain shop in the town, with locals preferring to put their money behind local butchers and bakers. Crickhowell spent years attempting to block plans for a Co-op, while locals say that the high street’s late-night shopping is like a street party.
The town’s tourism board promotes Crickhowell as an ideal base for discovering the southern Black Mountains and surrounding areas. Throughout the Christmas period, the town hosts a well-attended late-night shopping evening and festive market, featuring stalls, handcrafted items, presents and live entertainment.
