Chirk Aqueduct is a high and long navigable aqueduct that carries what is now the Llangollen Canal across the Ceiriog Valley near Chirk, on the England–Wales border, spanning the two countries.
History
The aqueduct was designed by civil engineer Thomas Telford for the Ellesmere Canal. The resident engineer was M. Davidson who also acted as resident engineer on a number of Telford's other works. The aqueduct was briefly the tallest navigable one ever built, and it now is Grade II* listed in both England and Wales. It forms part of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site. The stone work is yellow sandstone. 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.
As is true for the entire Llangollen Canal, a steady current flows in the aqueduct with the narrow cross-section of the aqueduct's trough amplifying this flow.
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)