World Heritage Identification Number: 1303
World Heritage since: 2009
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Infrastructure & Industry
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal: A Marvel of Industrial Engineering
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal, located in the picturesque Vale of Llangollen in northeastern Wales, stands as a testament to the ingenuity and ambition of the Industrial Revolution. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, this 18-kilometer long waterway system showcases the harmonious blend of artistic vision, technical prowess, and practical problem-solving that characterized the era.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
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.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (i): The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a highly innovative monumental civil engineering structure, made using metal arches supported by high, slender masonry piers. It is the first great masterpiece of the civil engineer Thomas Telford and formed the basis of his outstanding international reputation. It bears witness to the production capacities of the British ironmaking industry, which were unique at that time.
Criterion (ii): The intensive construction of canals in Great Britain, from the second half of the 18th century onwards, and that of the Pontcysyllte Canal in particular in a difficult region, bear witness to considerable technical interchanges and decisive progress in the design and construction of artificial waterways.
Criterion (iv): The Pontcysyllte Canal and its civil engineering structures bear witness to a crucial stage in the development of heavy cargo transport in order to further the Industrial Revolution. They are outstanding representatives of its new technical and monumental possibilities.
Encyclopedia Record: Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen in northeast Wales.Additional Site Details
Area: 105 hectares
Number of Components: 1
(ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 52.9702777778 , -3.0877777778
Image
Adrian Pingstone, Public domain
