Llangollen Canal

The Llangollen Canal (Welsh: Camlas Llangollen) is a navigable canal crossing the border between England and Wales. The waterway links Llangollen in Denbighshire, north Wales, with Hurleston in south Cheshire, via the town of Ellesmere, Shropshire. In 2009 an eleven-mile section of the canal from Gledrid Bridge near Rhoswiel through to the Horseshoe Falls, which includes Chirk Aqueduct and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.^[1]

The waterway, from which the modern canal takes it name, was built when work to complete the Ellesmere Canal was halted in the early 19th century. The Ellesmere Canal was to be a commercial waterway that linked the Port of Liverpool to the West Midlands. However, due to a variety of problems, such as rising costs and rival competition, the scheme was never finished as intended. As the waterway never reached its proposed main source of water at Moss Valley, Wrexham, a feeder channel was constructed along the side of the Vale of Llangollen to the River Dee; the work created the Horseshoe Falls at Llantysilio.

The Llangollen line became the primary water source from the River Dee for the central section of the incomplete Ellesmere Canal. As such it was not built as a broad-gauge waterway but as a navigable feeder branch. Eventually the Ellesmere Canal became part of the Shropshire Union network in 1846.

In the 1980s, British Waterways took the decision to rename the surviving central sections of the Ellesmere Canal as the Llangollen Canal. As a rebranding of Britain's industrial waterways as leisure destinations, it has encouraged usage and promoted restoration.

History

Map showing the planned route for the Ellesmere Canal between Chester and Shrewsbury. The feeder to Llangollen was never envisaged in the original proposal.

The grand plan for the Ellesmere Canal was to link the River Mersey with the River Severn. The northward section would begin at Netherpool (now Ellesmere Port) using part of the existing Chester Canal before reaching the River Dee at Chester. The southerly section of the waterway would pass through Overton before heading towards Shrewsbury.

Although work commenced in 1795, the canal was never finished as intended even though major works included two aqueducts at Pontcysyllte and Chirk as well a tunnel. Only the southerly section from Lower Frankton to Weston Lullingfields was completed. The final 9 miles (14 km) to Shrewsbury was never started because of financial problems.

Only a short length of the northern section beyond Trevor Basin was built. It was infilled when the canal company decided not to proceed because of rising costs and resistance from property holders to sell their land. The failure to reach the main water source north of Wrexham prompted the creation of the Llangollen feeder from the Horseshoe Falls. The weir, which created the man-made falls on the River Dee, provided water for this part of the network.

Eventually the Ellesmere canal was completed between Frankton Junction to Ellesmere and Whitchurch in Shropshire, eventually reaching the Chester Canal at Hurleston Junction near Nantwich, Cheshire.

The surviving sections of the Ellesmere Canal became part of the Shropshire Union Canal network in 1846.

Decline

Commercial traffic on the canal greatly declined after a waterway breach near Newtown, Powys (now part of the Montgomery Canal) in 1936. By 1939 boat movements on the canal between Hurleston to Llangollen had ceased. The canal was formally closed to navigation under the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company Act of 1944. On 6 September 1945, due to inadequate maintenance, the canal breached its banks east of Llangollen near Sun Bank Halt. The flow of hundreds of tons of water washed away the embankment of the railway further down the hill, tearing a 40 yd crater 50 ft deep.^[2] This caused the first traffic of the morning, a mail and goods train composed of 16 carriages and two vans, to crash into the breach, killing one and injuring two engine crew.^[3][4]

However, despite its official closure to waterway traffic, the canal was not in-filled or allowed to remain de-watered because it was still required as a water feeder for the Shropshire Union Canal. It also provided a supply of drinking water to a reservoir at Hurleston. In 1955 the Mid & South East Cheshire Water Board agreed to maintain the canal, securing its future.

Restoration

In the latter half of the 20th century canal use by leisure craft grew. The "Llangollen Branch of the Shropshire Union" became popular due to its aqueducts and scenery. The canal was later renamed the Llangollen Canal, becoming one of the most popular canals for holidaymakers in Britain.

A notable feature of the canal is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, built by Thomas Telford. Opened in 1805, the aqueduct is more than 300 metres (980 ft) long and 38 metres (125 ft) above the valley floor. It has 19 stone arches, each with a 45-foot (14 metre) span. Another aqueduct carries the canal over the River Ceiriog at Chirk, and there are tunnels nearby at Whitehouses, Chirk, and Ellesmere.

The canal also forms the boundary on two sides of the Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve.

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  The canal being restored by British Waterways in the mid 1980s.

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  Llangollen canal wharf.

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  A canal boat traverses the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

Route

Hurleston to Frankton Junction

Ellesmere Canal Hurleston Branch

Legend Hurleston Jn (SU main line ) Hurleston Lock Hurleston Lock Hurleston Lock Hurleston Lock 1 A51 Road Bridge 1A Hurleston Bridge 2 Bache House Bridge 3 Martin's Bridge 4 Lees Bridge 5 Platts Bridge 6 Wrexham Road (Ravensmoor) Bridge Swanley No 2 Lock 8 Swanley Bridge 9 Butcher's Bridge Swanley No 1 Lock 10 Stonely Green Bridge 11 Bethills Bridge 12 Hall's Lane Bridge 13 Grange (Greenfield) Bridge Baddiley No 3 Lock Baddiley No 2 Lock 14 Baddiley Bridge Baddiley No 1 Lock 15 Wrenbury Heath Bridge 16 Wrenbury Heath Footbridge 17 Wrenbury Hall Bridge 18 Starkeys Bridge 19 Wrenbury Church Bridge 20 Wrenbury Bridge 21 Wrenbury Frith Bridge 22 Thomason's Bridge 23 Church Bridge Marbury Lock 24 Steer Bridge 25 Quoisley Bridge Quoisley Lock Willey Moor Lock Povey's Lock 26 Jackson's Bridge 27 Railway Bridge 28 Grindley Brook No 1 Bridge Grindley Brook Lock Grindley Brook Lock Grindley Brook Lock 29 Grindley Brook No 2 Bridge Grindley Brook Staircase Lock (3 chamber) 30 Danson's (Dawson's) Farm Bridge 30A A41 Road Bridge 31 New Mills Bridge Whitchurch Arm 31A A41 Road Bridge 32 Wrexham Road Bridge 33 Hassell's No 1 Bridge 34 Hassell's No 2 Bridge 35 Spark's Bridge 37 Dudlestone Bridge 38 Old Man's Bridge 39 Cambrian Railway Bridge 40 Blackoe (Hughes) Bridge 41 Springhill Bridge 42 Tilstock Park Bridge 43 Platt Lane Bridge 44 Roundhorn Bridge 45 Morris Bridge 46 Roving Bridge Whixall Moss Junction (Prees Branch) 47 Cornhill Bridge 48 Bettisfield Bridge 49 Clapping Gate (Knowles) Bridge 50 Hampton Bank Bridge 51 Lyneal Lane Bridge 52 Greaves Bridge 53 Lyneal Bridge 54 Miss Each Bridge 55 Little Mill Bridge 56 Burns Wood Bridge 57 Ellesmere Tunnel (80m) 58 Red Bridge Ellesmere Arm (with White Bridge 59 over) 60 Stank's Bridge 61 White Mill Bridge 62 Coachman's Bridge 63 Clay Pit Bridge 64 Val Hill No 1 Bridge 65 Val Hill No 2 Bridge 66 Val Hill No 3 Bridge 67 Broom Farm Bridge 68 Pryce's Bridge 69 Peter's Bridge Frankton Junction (Llanymynech Branch) Junction with Llangollen Branch

The canal at Hurleston Junction rises from the Shropshire Union Canal main line, through four adjacent locks.

Wrenbury lift bridge is operated by use of a British Waterways key, and involves closing barriers and stopping traffic on a sometimes-busy road.

At Grindley Brook the canal passes through three locks and a three-chamber staircase lock, attended during summer months by a lock keeper.

At Whitchurch a short arm of the canal remains open. Originally this continued almost to the centre of the town, though sections have since been built over. Whitchurch Waterway Trust promotes the restoration of this arm.

Between bridges 44 and 47 the canal passes through Whixall Moss.

Adjacent to bridge 46 is Whixall Moss Junction leading to the Prees Branch (see below).

Between bridges 54 and 57 the canal passes the Ellesmere meres.

At Ellesmere there is a short arm towards the town.

The canal also passes though Burland, Quoisley Bridge, and Bettisfield.

Prees Branch

Prees Branch
Legend Whixall Moss Junction 1 Allman's Lift Bridge 2 Starks Lift Bridge 3 Dobson's Bridge Whixall Marina Prees Branch Nature Reserve

The Prees Arm of the canal was originally intended to reach Prees, but was only constructed as far as Quina Brook. Today it is only open for 7 furlongs (1.5 km), with two lift bridges, to a marina at the end of the navigable part; beyond that, the remainder of the constructed canal now forms the Prees Branch Canal Nature Reserve. The first bridge (Allman's Bridge) was one of the last manual lift bridges to be converted to hydraulic operation in 2010. Dobson's Bridge, a fixed humpback bridge, was classified in 1987 as a Grade Il listed building.^[5]

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  Old map showing the complete branch to Quina Brook

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  Evening over Whixall Marina

Frankton Junction to Trevor Basin

Frankton Junction to Trevor Basin

Legend Junction with Ellesmere Branch Frankton Junction (Llanymynech Branch) 1W Rowson's Bridge 2 Nicholas Bridge 3 Rodenhurst Bridge 4 Maestermyn House Bridge 5 Maestermyn Bridge 6 Pollet's Bridge 7 Broom's Bridge 8 Paddock No 1 Bridge 9 Paddock No 2 Bridge 11 Hindford Bridge New Marton Bottom Lock New Marton Top Lock 12 New Marton Bridge 13 St. Martin's Bridge 14 Sarn Bridge 15 Preeshenlle Bridge 16 Belmont Bridge 17 Moreton Bridge 18 Rhoswiel Bridge 19 Gledrid (O'Leord) Bridge 21 Monk's (Chirk Bank) Bridge Chirk Aqueduct Chirk Tunnel (459 yards) Chirk Marina 25 Whitehouse Tunnel (191 yards) 26 Whitehouse Bridge 27 Irish Bridge 28 Fron Bridge Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Llangollen navigable feeder 19th-century dry dock 29 30 Trevor Basin

At Frankton Junction the Montgomery Canal, which is partially restored, heads southwards. For historic reasons the bridge numbering continues down the Montgomery Canal and a second bridge numbering series for the Llangollen Canal begins with Rowson's Bridge (which is numbered both 1W and 70). The "W" addition is a recent act by British Waterways, to avoid possible confusion, especially for emergency services, of having different bridges on the same canal with the same number.

The Llangollen Canal passes through Hindford, Saint Martin's, Preesgweene, Chirk Bank, Chirk and Froncysyllte, and includes the Chirk Aqueduct, the Chirk Tunnel and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

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  Frankton Junction

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  New Marton Bottom Lock

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  New Marton Top Lock

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  Chirk Aqueduct

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  Chirk Tunnel

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  Trevor Basin

Trevor Basin to Horseshoe Falls

Trevor Basin to Horseshoe Falls

Legend Ellesmere Main Line junction 31 Rhos-y-coed Bridge 32 Roving Bridge 33 White Bridge 34 Plas-yn-y-pentre Bridge 35 Millar's Bridge 36 Bryn-Ceirch Bridge 37 Plas-Isaf Bridge 38 Bryn Howel Bridge 39 Great Western Railway Bridge 40 Plas Ifan Bridge 41 Sun Trevor Bridge 42 Wenffrwd Bridge 43 Llanddyn No 1 Bridge 44 Llanddyn No 2 Bridge 45 Siambra-Wen Bridge Llangollen Wharf Llangollen Marina Limit of navigation 46 Pen-y-ddol Bridge 47 Tower Bridge 48 Pentrefelin Bridge 48A Ty-Craig Bridge 49 Llantisilio Bridge 49A King's Bridge Horseshoe Falls Gauging Station

This section was built as a navigable feeder and is both shallow and narrow. Some sections near Llangollen are too narrow for boats to pass each other and it is necessary to scout ahead to check for oncoming boats.

Navigation by powered craft is prohibited beyond the entrance to Llangollen Marina and the final section is used only by the horse drawn trip boats. British Waterways maintains a gravel shoal immediately upstream of the marina entrance past Llangollen Wharf. This maintains a draught which most narrowboats cannot pass, but which is passable by the shallow draughted trip boats.

In 2005, a marina was constructed by British Waterways, just upstream from Llangollen Wharf, to relieve the acute shortage of casual moorings. A charge is made for all moorings over 48 hours at Llangollen. About 100 yards downstream of the wharf there are about a dozen 'visitor' moorings complete with individual electricity and water at each. There are none at the marina itself.

See also

• Canals of the United Kingdom
• History of the British canal system

References

• Denton, John Horsley (1984). Montgomershire Canal and the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal. Lapal Publications. ISBN 0-9509238-1-8. 
• Waterways World (2005). Canal Guide 2 – Llangollen and Montgomery Canals. Waterways World Ltd. ISBN 1-870002-89-X. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Llangollen Canal.

• Llangollen Canal – North Wales Borderlands website

Coordinates: 52°58′20″N 3°10′16″W / 52.9722°N 3.1711°W / 52.9722; -3.1711