Chirk Aqueduct
Shropshire
Chirk Aqueduct is 70ft high and was completed in 1801 by its architects and builders, Thomas Telford and William Jessop.
Built of brick and stone, it has ten huge circular arches spanning the River Ceiriog. The trough of bolted iron plates along the bottom and stone walls contains the canal.
Chirk's setting is one of the most impressive of any canal aqueduct. It is flanked by an equally sturdy railway viaduct. To the west, the canal dives into a tunnel - proof of the hilly terrain that Telford and Jessop had to conquer. Though overshadowed by the nearby Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in engineering terms, Chirk Aqueduct is worthy of a visit in its own right.
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