A RAIN dampened ceremony failed to stop the celebrations taking place for the 200th anniversary of the coming together of the Monmouthshire and Brecon canals writes andy sherwill.

A large bell was brought onto the site at the original junction of the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal with the Monmouthshire Canal to recreate the original opening ceremony two centuries ago held at the Pontymoile Basin.

At the original opening Sir Benjamin Hall, the local MP who gave the name of 'Big Ben' to the bell of the clock installed in the tower of the Houses of Parliament in 1857 formally opened the new canal that stretched from Newport to Brecon.

And last week Robin Herbert, the great, great grandson of Sir Benjamin Hall took part in the anniversary ceremony with Councillor Bob Wellington, Leader of Torfaen County Borough Council by ringing a single 200kg bell twelve times to signal the start of church bells ringing out all along the route of the canal.

Mr Herbert said: "It is particularly pleasing to be invited to this event as I have lived close to the canal for my whole life.

"At the original opening Sir Benjamin travelled here from his home Llanover and the canal became part of he industrial revolution.

And now it's a fantastic feature for local people and tourism to enjoy and it's all down to the achievement of early 19th Century engineers under the direction of Thomas Dadford Jnr.

Over 100 people attended the opening ceremony, which saw performances by pupils from Pontymoile Primary School, Accord Singers and Raglan's St Cadoc's Millennium Chimes who dressed in period costume, while Martin Danks took on the role of Thomas Dadford Jnr canal engineer.

The initial bell strike at noon started the peal of church bells from Pontymoile Basin to Brecon in one direction and Newport and Cwmcarn in the other.

Councillor Bob Wellington said: "The joining of the two canals at the time provided a life blood to the economy of the local community and its legacy has resulted in the tow path being one of the most used in the country."

Two cyclists from Abergavenny Cycle Group braved the weather and took a bike ride along the canal from Llanfoist to Pontymoile in time for the opening ceremony.

The 49-mile canal that stretches from Brecon to Newport was originally built as a corridor for coal and iron; now it supports a thriving leisure industry and is a much-loved haven for people and nature.

Over the coming months through a series of activities and events, organisations, local community groups and national bodies will be celebrating the canal's history, enjoying its beauty and looking forward to its development beyond 2012.