John and I took a narrowboat trip across the aqueduct last week.
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Traphont Ddŵr Pontcysyllte
Aqueduct over the Dee called Pont y Cyssyltau.jpeg
1823 engraving
Coordinates 52°58′14″N 03°05′16″WCoordinates: 52°58′14″N 03°05′16″W
OS grid reference SJ270420
Carries Llangollen Canal
Crosses River Dee
Locale Froncysyllte, Wrexham, Wales
Maintained by Canal & River Trust
Heritage status Grade I listed
Characteristics
Trough construction Cast iron
Pier construction Stone
Total length 336 yd (307 m)
Width 12 ft (3.7 m)
Height 126 ft (38 m)
Water depth 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Traversable? Yes
Towpaths East side
No. of spans 18
Piers in water 4
History
Designer Thomas Telford
Construction start 25 July 1795
Opened 26 November 1805
UNESCO World Heritage site
Official name Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal
Criteria Cultural: i, ii, iv
Reference 1303
Inscription 2009 (33rd Session)
Area 105 ha
Buffer zone 4,145 ha
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (Welsh pronunciation: [ˌpɔntkəˈsəɬtɛ]; Welsh: Traphont Ddŵr Pontcysyllte) is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in north east Wales. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure, which took ten years to design and build, was completed in 1805. It is now the oldest and longest navigable aqueduct in Great Britain and the highest in the world.
The aqueduct was to be a key part of the central section of the proposed Ellesmere Canal, an industrial waterway that would create a commercial link between the River Severn at Shrewsbury and the Port of Liverpool on the River Mersey. However, only parts of the canal route were completed because the expected revenues required to complete the entire project were never generated. Most major work ceased after the completion of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in 1805. Although a cheaper construction course was surveyed further to the east, the westerly high-ground route across the Vale of Llangollen was preferred because it would have taken the canal through the mineral-rich coalfields of North East Wales.
The structure is a Grade I listed building[1] and a World Heritage Site.
Many thanks for all your views,comments and favs,always much appreciated.
Lovely shot. I canoed over it years ago, and keep meaning to repeat the trip. Last time, I rescued a hedgehog from the water in the middle of the viaduct. No idea how it had got that far across.
