Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Rises 39 Metres Above the River and is a True Engineering Masterpiece

(Patria) - The Llangollen Canal, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located in the valley of the same name on the River Dee in northeastern Wales.

It is 18 kilometers long and has 31 structures along its path from Gledrid to the Horseshoe Falls that enable navigation, and the most impressive of all is undoubtedly the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

Its difficult-to-pronounce name (Pont-ker-sulth-teh) literally means 'bridge that connects the river', and locals affectionately call it Ponty.

The navigable waterway at the top of the 307-meter-long aqueduct is a full 39 meters above the River Dee, supported by 18 masonry piers.

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is considered a masterpiece of engineering and monumental metal architecture, designed by the renowned civil engineer Thomas Telford.

Thanks to the use of cast and wrought iron, the structure is both light and durable, with metal arches supported by tall masonry piers.

Construction of the aqueduct began in 1795. The masonry piers are hollow to reduce the load on the lower part of the structure, and the stones used for construction were bound with mortar made from lime, water, and ox blood.

For easier access and transportation of the metal parts of the structure, a foundry was built in nearby Cefn Mawr, reports Punkufer.hr.

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was opened to traffic on November 26, 1805, just ten years after Telford's audacious idea.

Only one person died during the entire ten-year construction period, and the first repairs were not needed until the mid-20th century.

UNESCO describes this aqueduct, as well as the entire protected waterway including all embankments, tunnels, and viaducts, as a masterpiece of creative genius. In addition to the canal for boats, there is also a pedestrian walkway across the aqueduct.

While there is a high protective fence on one side of the aqueduct, there is no fence along the canal, so if you are ever nearby and decide to take a tourist boat trip, keep in mind that when you lean out of the boat, you see the ground quite far below you.

This is a sight not uncommon in amusement parks, but quite unusual in regular river traffic.