Chirk Aqueduct
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Chirk Aqueduct and the railway viaduct behind it
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| Coordinates | 52°55′42″N 3°03′44″W / 52.9282°N 3.0622°W / 52.9282; -3.0622 |
| OS grid reference | SJ287373 |
| Carries | Llangollen Canal |
| Crosses | Ceiriog Valley |
| Locale | Chirk |
| Maintained by | Canal and River Trust |
| Characteristics | |
| Trough construction | Cast iron |
| Pier construction | Masonry |
| Total length | 710 feet (220 m) |
| Height | 70 feet (21 m) |
| Traversable? | Yes |
| Towpaths | East Side |
| No. of spans | Ten |
| History | |
| Designer | Thomas Telford |
| Construction end | 1801 |
| Location | |
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Chirk Aqueduct is a 70-foot (21 m) high and 710-foot (220 m) 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.
The aqueduct was designed by civil engineer Thomas Telford[1] for the Ellesmere Canal. The resident engineer was M. Davidson who also acted as resident engineer on a number of Telford's other works.[1] The foundation stone was laid on 17 June 1796 and it was completed in 1801.[2] It has a cast iron trough within which the water is contained. The masonry walls 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.[3] The aqueduct was briefly the tallest navigable one ever built, and it now is Grade II* listed in both England and Wales.[4][5] It forms part of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site.[5]
The aqueduct consists of ten arches, each with a span of 40 feet (12 m). The water level is 65 feet (20 m) above the ground and 70 feet (21 m) above the River Ceiriog.[2] The stone work is yellow sandstone.[5] William Hazledine provided the ironwork for the aqueduct.[6] 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.[7][8]
The Chirk Tunnel starts at the north end of the Chirk Aqueduct, allowing the canal to continue on towards Llangollen.[5] Chirk Railway Viaduct was built later alongside the aqueduct. It is slightly higher than the aqueduct.[8]
