Pontcysyllte
| Pontcysyllte Aqueduct | |
|---|---|
(1823 engraving)
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| Coordinates | 52°58′14″N 03°05′16″W / 52.97056°N 3.08778°WCoordinates: 52°58′14″N 03°05′16″W / 52.97056°N 3.08778°W |
| OS grid reference | |
| Carries | Llangollen Canal |
| Crosses | River Dee |
| Locale | Froncysyllte |
| Maintained by | Canal & River Trust |
| Heritage status | Grade 1 |
| Characteristics | |
| Trough construction | Cast iron |
| Pier construction | Stone |
| Total length | 336 yards (307 m) |
| Width | 4 yards (3.4 m) |
| Height | 126 feet (38 m) |
| Traversable? | Yes |
| Towpaths | East side |
| No. of spans | Eighteen |
| Piers in water | Four |
| History | |
| Designer | Thomas Telford |
| Opened | 1805 |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iv) 
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| Reference | 1303 |
| Inscription | 2009 (33rd Session) |
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The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (Welsh pronunciation: [ˌpɔntkəˈsəɬtɛ], full name in Welsh: Traphont Ddŵr Pontcysyllte) is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in north east Wales. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure, which took ten years to design and build, was completed in 1805. It is now the oldest and longest navigable aqueduct on Great Britain and the highest in the world.
The aqueduct was to be a key part of the central section of the proposed Ellesmere Canal, an industrial waterway that would create a commercial link between the River Severn at Shrewsbury and the Port of Liverpool on the River Mersey. However, only parts of the canal route were completed because the expected revenues required to complete the entire project were never generated. Most major work ceased after the completion of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in 1805. Although a cheaper construction course was surveyed further to the east, the westerly high-ground route across the Vale of Llangollen was preferred because it would have taken the canal through the mineral-rich coalfields of North East Wales.
The structure is a Grade I listed building and a World Heritage Site.
The name Pontcysyllte in the Welsh language means "Cysyllte Bridge". It is derived from the township of Cysyllte. The completed aqueduct linked the villages of Froncysyllte, at the southern end of the bridge in the Cysyllte township of Llangollen parish (from where it takes its name), and Trevor (Trefor in Welsh), at the northern end of the bridge in the Trefor Isaf township, also of Llangollen parish.
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