Chirk Aqueduct is a high and long
navigable aqueduct
Navigable aqueducts (sometimes called water bridges) are bridge structures that carry navigable waterway canals over other rivers, valleys, railways or roads. They are primarily distinguished by their size, carrying a larger cross-section of ...
that carries what is now the
Llangollen Canal across the
Ceiriog Valley
The Ceiriog Valley ( cy, Dyffryn Ceiriog) is the valley of the River Ceiriog in north-east Wales. Its Welsh name, "Dyffryn Ceiriog", is the name of an electoral ward of Wrexham County Borough. The ward is the largest ward of the county borough b ...
near
Chirk
Chirk ( cy, Y Waun) is a town and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, south of Wrexham, between it and Oswestry. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 4,468. Historically in the traditional county of Denbighshire, and later Clw ...
, on the
England-Wales border
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Engl ...
, spanning the two countries.
History
The aqueduct was designed by civil engineer
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scot ...
for the
Ellesmere Canal
The Ellesmere Canal was a waterway in England and Wales that was planned to carry boat traffic between the rivers Mersey and Severn. The proposal would create a link between the Port of Liverpool and the mineral industries in north east Wales ...
. The resident engineer was M. Davidson who also acted as resident engineer on a number of Telford's other works.
The foundation stone was laid on 17 June 1796 and it was completed in 1801.
It has a
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuri ...
trough within which the water is contained. The masonry walls hide the cast iron interior. The aqueduct followed Telford's innovative
Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct on the
Shrewsbury Canal, and was a forerunner of the
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, also on the Llangollen Canal. The aqueduct was briefly the tallest navigable one ever built, and it now is Grade II*
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
in both England and Wales.
It forms part of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
.
[
]
Description
The aqueduct consists of ten arches, each with a span of . The water level is above the ground and above the River Ceiriog. The stone work is yellow sandstone.[ ]William Hazledine
William Hazledine (1763 – 26 October 1840) was an English ironmaster. Establishing large foundries, he was a pioneer in casting structural ironwork, most notably for canal aqueducts and early suspension bridges. Many of these projects were c ...
provided the ironwork for the aqueduct. Originally built with iron plates only at the base of the trough, iron side plates were added to the aqueduct in 1870 to alleviate leakage.[
The Chirk Tunnel starts at the north end of the Chirk Aqueduct, allowing the canal to continue on towards Llangollen.][ Chirk Railway Viaduct was built later alongside the aqueduct. It is slightly higher than the aqueduct.]
See also
* List of canal aqueducts in the United Kingdom
* List of bridges in Wales
References
External links
Chirk Aqueduct at chirk.com
360 Degree Panoramic View at BBC Shropshire
(Java Applet Required)
{{Wrexham
Bridges in Wrexham County Borough
Buildings and structures in Shropshire
Navigable aqueducts in Wales
Bridges by Thomas Telford
Bridges completed in 1801
Llangollen Canal
Ellesmere Canal
Grade II* listed buildings in Shropshire
Grade II* listed buildings in Wrexham County Borough
Grade II* listed bridges in Wales
Cast iron aqueducts
Chirk