The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct in northeast Wales that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen. As one of the most interesting attractions in Wales, the structure is a Grade I listed structure and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The 18-arched stone and cast iron edifice were finished in 1805 after a ten-year planning and construction period. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is the longest aqueduct in the United Kingdom and the highest canal aqueduct in the world, measuring 12 feet (3.7 meters) wide. On one side, a footpath goes alongside the river.

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was to be a crucial component of the proposed Ellesmere Canal, an industrial waterway that would have established a commercial link between the River Severn at Shrewsbury and the Port of Liverpool on the River Mersey. Although a less expensive construction route to the east was investigated, the westerly high-ground route over the Vale of Llangollen was favored because it would have transported the canal through the mineral-rich coalfields of North East Wales. Because the expected revenues to complete the entire project were never generated, only parts of the canal route were completed. After the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was completed in 1805, most major activities halted.

Location: Froncysyllte, Wrexham, Wales