Chirk Aqueduct

Chirk Aqueduct carries the Llangollen Canal 21 metres above the Ceiriog Valley near Chirk, on the border between England and Wales. It is 220 metres long and has ten arches of 12-metre span. The water level stands 20 metres above the ground and 21 metres above the river. The trough is made of cast iron and clad in yellow sandstone. Thomas Telford designed the aqueduct, with M. Davidson as resident engineer. The aqueduct was built between 1796 and 1801 for the Ellesmere Canal. It briefly held the record as the tallest navigable aqueduct ever constructed. Iron plates were added to the sides in 1870 to stop leakage. The aqueduct is now Grade II* listed in both England and Wales. It forms part of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site. Visitors walk along the towpath above the canal and see the iron trough and sandstone arches. The steady current in the narrow trough is noticeable. At the north end, the canal enters Chirk Tunnel. Beside the aqueduct stands the later Chirk Railway Viaduct, slightly higher than the aqueduct itself.