Llangollen
- Maximus Nostramabus
- Aug 23, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Highest aqueduct in the world, symbolic of the Industrial Revolution - Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal 1303
What and Why
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a waterbridge that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in Wales. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure, designed by Thomas Telford, is for use by narrowboats and was completed in 1805 having taken ten years to design and build . It is the longest aqueduct in United Kingdom (UK) and the highest canal aqueduct in the world. The original idea of the aqueduct is to transport coal, iron and goods from the nearby coal fields during the Industrial Revolution, as blogged in Telford.
The significance of the bridge comes from the Telford's innovative use of technology, especially the use of cast iron, in such difficult geographical setting at the time, and so the aqueduct remains one of his defining achievements. It is considered a masterpiece of engineering even to date and represents British leadership during the Industrial Revolution. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was one of the most extraordinary feats of early industrial engineering in the British Empire and arguably the world at the time.
The aqueduct solved a major topographical problem: how to carry a canal across a deep valley without descending and re-ascending via locks, which would have been slow and water and power-intensive.
The bridge-aqueduct also serves as the industrial waterway that would have connected the Shrewsbury and Liverpool on the River Mersey. However only parts of the canal is completed as the revenue was never generated, and the connexion never realises.
Toponymy
The name Pontcysyllte, pronounced /ˌpɔntkəˈsəɬtɛ/, means 'Cysyllte Bridge' in Welsh, where Cysyllte is a parish in Llangollen. The bridge has been falsely translated as the 'Bridge of the Junction' from modern false etymology, as the Welsh word 'cyswllt' means 'connexions', but in actual fact the name comes from the parish, rather than from its meaning behind. The town Llangollen, pronounced /ɬaŋˈɡɔɬɛn/, that the bridge crosses takes its name from Welsh word 'llan' meaning 'a religious place' and Collen, a 7th century monk who founded the church in the area.
See
The canal itself is a wonderful and jaw-dropping scene to witness. I have to say that when I walked along it did send shivers across my spine, especially when I looked down to the river from the aqueduct. At the highest point of the bridge, I was 38 m above the ground while the width of the bridge is a mere 3.7 m. The depth of the canal is 1.6 m deep like the depth of a swimming pool. The pedestrian walkway is merely 1 m wide and off the other side of the canal is the gorge. Notably, there is no guardrail or fences on the canal side, only on the pedestrian path side, and even looking from the pedestrian side it looked very scary. With the wind blowing across the bridge, my legs became literally spaghetti like, even though I almost never suffered from acrophobia! To an extent I was embarrassed in front of my friend! Either side I would fall into the cliff or into the water trench.
Clearly the bridge is not of any significant practical use nowadays, either as a canal or an aqueduct, and the only activities are the frequent tourist narrowboat traffic or canoe paddling activities along the bridge to the lower end of the aqueduct.
The highest part of the bridge is largely iron-casted, although a peculiar part of the construction involves the use of lime, water and ox blood in the mortar. Blood and extracts of blood containing haemoglobin have been used in the construction and building industry since antiquity as air entraining colloids are inexpensive ways to strengthen mortar, especially those exposed to freeze-thaw temperature cycles.
The aqueduct has 18 hollow stone piers. Their hollow design reduces weight and material use while maintaining structural integrity.
With my shivering legs under strong wind I took a video of a transversing boat, as above
From the boat, the water appears to merge directly with open sky and the journey can be quite daring, although the narratives are quite cheesy but informative.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
A good half-day tour. Again this place is deep in the middle of nowhere and the only feasible way of access is drive.
A one-way boat ride from the top to the bottom is GBP £10 and lasts about 45 minutes.
UNESCO Inscription
Situated in north-eastern Wales, the 18 kilometre long Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal is a feat of civil engineering of the Industrial Revolution, completed in the early years of the 19th century. Covering a difficult geographical setting, the building of the canal required substantial, bold civil engineering solutions, especially as it was built without using locks. The aqueduct is a pioneering masterpiece of engineering and monumental metal architecture, conceived by the celebrated civil engineer Thomas Telford. The use of both cast and wrought iron in the aqueduct enabled the construction of arches that were light and d strong, producing an overall effect that is both monumental and elegant. The property is inscribed as a masterpiece of creative genius, and as a remarkable synthesis of expertise already acquired in Europe. It is also recognized as an innovative ensemble that inspired many projects all over the world.
References
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