Chirk viaduct and aqueduct
Viaduct
Designed by Scottish engineer Henry Robertson, and built by Thomass Brassey, Chirk viaduct was opened in 1848. It is accessible by foot, with a footpath passing underneath it, or from the towpath on Chirk aqueduct, which sits just next to the viaduct.
The viaduct is approximately 260m (849ft) long, comprising ten 14m (45ft) span semicircular arches, with three further arches replacing an earlier 37m (120ft) laminated timber arch at each end. It rises 30m (100ft) above the river.
Aqueduct
Visit Chirk Aqueduct and you can have one foot in England and one foot in Wales. A few minutes’ walk from Chirk town centre, it straddles the border between Wales and England and sits companionably next to Chirk viaduct. Looking down at Chirk basin and the aqueduct from the road above is a sight to behold.
The aqueduct, designed by William Jessop and Thomas Telford, was built between 1796 and 1801. It had an innovative design: the weight was minimised by the ten semi-circular masonry arches being hollow and by the water channel having an iron bed plate and brick sides sealed using hydraulic mortar.
Chirk viaduct and aqueduct
Viaduct
Designed by Scottish engineer Henry Robertson, and built by Thomass Brassey, Chirk viaduct was opened in 1848. It is accessible by foot, with a footpath passing underneath it, or from the towpath on Chirk aqueduct, which sits just next to the viaduct.
The viaduct is approximately 260m (849ft) long, comprising ten 14m (45ft) span semicircular arches, with three further arches replacing an earlier 37m (120ft) laminated timber arch at each end. It rises 30m (100ft) above the river.
Aqueduct
Visit Chirk Aqueduct and you can have one foot in England and one foot in Wales. A few minutes’ walk from Chirk town centre, it straddles the border between Wales and England and sits companionably next to Chirk viaduct. Looking down at Chirk basin and the aqueduct from the road above is a sight to behold.
The aqueduct, designed by William Jessop and Thomas Telford, was built between 1796 and 1801. It had an innovative design: the weight was minimised by the ten semi-circular masonry arches being hollow and by the water channel having an iron bed plate and brick sides sealed using hydraulic mortar.