Chirk Aqueduct
Encyclopedia
Chirk Aqueduct is a 70 feet (21.3 m) high and 710 feet (216.4 m) long navigable aqueduct
that carries what is now the Llangollen Canal
across the Ceiriog Valley
near Chirk
, on the England-Wales border.
The aqueduct was designed by Thomas Telford
for the Ellesmere Canal
and completed in 1801. It possesses a cast iron
trough within which the water is contained. The masonry walls effectively 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.
Telford pioneered the use of cast iron
in bridges as well as aqueducts, and cast iron troughs were widely used elsewhere on the British canal
network, especially where a secure and watertight crossing or bridge was needed. Another famous example is the Cosgrove Aqueduct
on the Grand Junction Canal
at Milton Keynes
in Buckinghamshire
.
The aqueduct consists of ten arches, each with a span of 40 feet (12.2 m). The water level is 65 feet (19.8 m) above the ground and 70 feet (21.3 m) above the River Ceiriog. The first stone was laid on 17 June 1796. William Hazledine
provided the ironwork for the aqueduct. Side plates were added to the aqueduct in 1870.
The Chirk Tunnel
starts at the north end of the Chirk Aqueduct, allowing the canal to continue on towards Llangollen.
Navigable aqueduct
Navigable aqueducts 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 water than most water-supply aqueducts...
that carries what is now the Llangollen Canal
Llangollen Canal
The Llangollen Canal is a navigable canal crossing the border between England and Wales. The waterway links Llangollen in Denbighshire, north Wales, with Hurleston in south Cheshire, via the town of Ellesmere, Shropshire....
across the Ceiriog Valley
Ceiriog Valley
The Ceiriog Valley or Dyffryn Ceiriog is the valley of the River Ceiriog in north-east Wales. It is also the name of a ward of the County Borough of Wrexham Until 1974 the valley was part of the traditional county of Denbighshire; then it became part of the short-lived county of Clwyd, which was...
near Chirk
Chirk
Chirk is a small town and local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It has a population of over 4,000....
, on the England-Wales border.
The aqueduct was designed by Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
for the Ellesmere Canal
Ellesmere Canal
The Ellesmere Canal was a canal in England and Wales, originally planned to link the Rivers Mersey, Dee, and Severn, by running from Netherpool to Shrewsbury. The canal that was eventually constructed was very different from what was originally envisioned...
and completed in 1801. It possesses a cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
trough within which the water is contained. The masonry walls effectively hide the cast iron interior. The aqueduct followed Telford's innovative Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct
Longdon-on-Tern
Longdon-on-Tern is a village in east central Shropshire, England. It is in the unitary district of Telford and Wrekin, and is approximately east of Shrewsbury and north-west of Telford....
on the Shrewsbury Canal
Shrewsbury Canal
The Shrewsbury Canal was a canal in Shropshire, England. Authorised in 1793, the main line from Trench to Shrewsbury was fully open by 1797, but it remained isolated from the rest of the canal network until 1835, when the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal built the Newport Branch from...
, and was a forerunner of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal over the valley of the River Dee in Wrexham in north east Wales....
also on the Llangollen Canal.
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
in bridges as well as aqueducts, and cast iron troughs were widely used elsewhere on the British canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
network, especially where a secure and watertight crossing or bridge was needed. Another famous example is the Cosgrove Aqueduct
Cosgrove aqueduct
Cosgrove aqueduct is a navigable cast iron trough aqueduct that carries the Grand Union Canal over the River Great Ouse, on the borders between Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire at the northwest margin of Milton Keynes in England. The present structure was built in 1811, to replace a previous...
on the Grand Junction Canal
Grand Junction Canal
The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford...
at Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
The aqueduct consists of ten arches, each with a span of 40 feet (12.2 m). The water level is 65 feet (19.8 m) above the ground and 70 feet (21.3 m) above the River Ceiriog. The first stone was laid on 17 June 1796. William Hazledine
William Hazledine
William Hazledine was a pioneering English Ironmaster whose talent for casting structural ironwork helped to realise the designs of engineers such as Thomas Telford and architects including Henry Goodridge and Charles Bage...
provided the ironwork for the aqueduct. Side plates were added to the aqueduct in 1870.
The Chirk Tunnel
Chirk Tunnel
Chirk Tunnel is a canal tunnel near Chirk, Wales.It lies on the Llangollen Canal, immediately northwards of the Chirk Aqueduct. It is long and has a complete towpath inside. The tunnel is designed for a single standard narrowboat, so passing is not possible...
starts at the north end of the Chirk Aqueduct, allowing the canal to continue on towards Llangollen.
See also
- List of canal aqueducts in Great Britain
- List of bridges in Wales
External links
- Chirk Aqueduct at chirk.com
- 360 Degree Panoramic View at BBC Shropshire (Java Applet Required)