Pontcysyllte - A Marvel That Shouldn't Exist

Pontcysyllte. This is amazing. A testament to design, engineering, human enginuity, and fine craftsmanship. I saw this mentioned in the paper the other day, surprised that I had never heard of it before.

Pontcysyllte is an aqueduct and canal that opened in Wales in approx. 1805. This is really worth checking out and learning more about. Now I just need someone to tell me how to pronounce it.

Pontcysyllte: A Marvel That Shouldn't Exist In Wales, a fusion of architecture, engineering and nature: "Of all the stupendous engineering structures produced by the Industrial Revolution, the Pontcysyllte is one of the most extraordinary: a ribbon of water in the sky. A narrow cast-iron water-filled trough, over 1,000 feet long, strides out across a steep-sided Welsh valley on a series of slender stone piers. Canal boats drift across, reaching a height of 126 feet above the valley floor. I first made this trip as a child and it was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. It still is. Because while there is a towpath and handrail on one side of you, on the other there is nothing but the thin lip of the trough, rising to only a few inches above the waterline. It does not look strong enough. You feel you are going to plunge over the edge.
...
Consider: This is a 200-year-old prefabricated structure of supreme elegance and durability. The bolted cast-iron plates form sections of trough, 11 feet wide and over 5 feet deep. They were caulked at the joints with Welsh flannel steeped in boiling sugar, and then sealed with lead. All together, these form a long tank holding 400,000 gallons of water, supported on 19 arches -- also in iron -- each with a 45-foot span. The aqueduct steps lightly across the valley of the River Dee on tapering stone piers that become hollow toward the top. What few boaters notice is the remarkably tall embankment -- the most ambitious ever attempted at the time -- that Telford built out from the valley side to approach it."

A bit more info on Pontcysyllte:
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct: 200th anniversary celebrations

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct - Llangollen Canal
Chirk and Pontcysyllte Aqueducts

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct at the UK Heritage Trail


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canal aqueduct Wales engineering art design UK