Borders 5

PAST & PRESENT
WATERWAYS

Border Canals:
Middlewich to Llangollen

Ray Shill

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PAST & PRESENT WATERWAYS

Border Canals:
Middlewich to Llangollen

Ray Shill

First published 2016 by
Canal Book Shop

Audlem Mill Limited The Wharf Audlem Cheshire CW3 0DX
www.canalbookshop.co.uk

ISBN 978-0-9574037-9-6

Ray Shill has asserted his rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the copyright
owner of the text in this book. The images and illustrations in this book are also subject to copyright; the various
copyright owners are named alongside the images.

Subject to very limited exceptions, the Act prohibits the making of copies of any copyright work or of a substantial part of
such a work, including the making of hard or digital copies by photocopying, scanning or similar process. Written

permission to make a copy or copies must be obtained from the publisher. It is advisable to consult the publisher if in any
doubt as to the legality of any copying which is to be undertaken.

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Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction 5
Chapter 2 The Ellesmere Canal (Hurleston - Carreghofa) 13
Chapter 3 The Ellesmere Canal (Welsh Frankton - Trevor) 37
Chapter 4 The Montgomery Canal (Carreghofa - Newtown) 56
Chapter 5 Branches & Byeways 77
Chapter 6 The Ellesmere & Chester Canal and the
Chapter 7 Middlewich Branch 88
Railway Links and Railway Features 97
Chapter 8 Shropshire Union and LMS Days 111
114
The Lift, or Draw, Bridges 119
Canal Carrying and the Merchandise Trade 127
The Limestone Trade 131
Coal, Iron and other Trades
British Waterways, Canal & River Trust, and 135
Restoration Schemes 151
Notable Structures on the Border Canals

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Introduction

The central theme to this book is the narrow canals that crossed the border between England &
Wales. At first, a fledgling canal network linked the Mersey, Severn and Trent by inland routes;
their example was followed by many more connecting schemes, and others that were isolated. With
the second case, isolation suited a particular purpose as the transport of goods was of local
importance - be it a subterranean waterway (such as Ecton copper mine), a link to a quarry to
transport stone (e.g Cann Quarry), or a short waterway for the movement of coal (such as Haigh
Furnace near Wigan).

With the Border waterways, the intention was always to link up with a coastal port, but the long
period of construction started with an isolated system in the foothills of the Welsh Hills. Here there
was both limestone and coal. There were also other minerals, such as lead, and there was also slate.
In the backdrop to the commercial need to transport such goods, there were various political factors
as different groups sought to bring waterways to their neighbourhood, or improve existing facilities.

There was also the need for the general movement of what is termed “merchandise”. This was a
broad term that included manufactured goods, pig iron and timber. The British canal network
became an important carrier of merchandise, and a host of private firms and select family
partnerships took up the business opportunity; some failed, others became successful carrying
establishments.

Shrewsbury was placed on the navigable part of the River Severn, but that navigation was limited
to certain times when water levels permitted it. Smaller barges even travelled north of Shrewsbury
to Pool Quay where cargoes included timber felled on local estates. North of Shrewsbury, the only
transport routes available were the roads, tracks and turnpikes that provided the means of carriage
to the Dee and Mersey. Shrewsbury businessmen were by 1790 actively promoting navigations
northwards.

The first navigation to travel in the direction of Shrewsbury was the Chester Canal, which was
made to barge width and terminated at Nantwich. The principal intended terminus had been
Middlewich, but the navigation was made only as far as Nantwich when the canal was opened in
1779. That opening was made by fortunate circumstances when finances became available to
complete this waterway.

Flats were the staple mode of conveyance for the Dee, Mersey and Weaver, and those of the correct
dimensions could also travel along the canal. Once the river lock had been negotiated and the basin
passed, the canal was then entered by a straight ascent of five locks. From there was steady climb
through the Cheshire countryside to Nantwich.

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Such carrying methods remained until a new canal scheme, the Ellesmere Canal, was sanctioned.

Once open, the need for trading vessels on the Chester Canal was encouraged by having company
flats transport goods that involved a road transfer element to the Trent & Mersey Canal. That trade
was limited, and with the collapse of a lock at Beeston, navigation was suspended until funds could
be found to repair this lock. Once the prospect of another canal was promoted, the Chester Canal
was able to find the funds for repairing Beeston Lock and restoring the navigation to Nantwich.

Authorisation for the Ellesmere Canal came at the time when many other new schemes were
proposed, and the full might of parliamentary scrutiny was employed to weed out the rival
proposals, even if not all suitable canals were successful with their application. The mix of objections
from existing canal operators, landowners and the nobility often played a part in the selection.

The first part of the Ellesmere Canal to be constructed and opened was the part from Chester to the
Mersey, which was completed during the Autumn of 1795. It led to the reorganisation of the canal
arrangements at Chester and the removal of the bottom two locks in the five lock flight there. The
new plan involved a junction with the original Chester Canal between the second and third lock,
and a new flight of locks from the Ellesmere Canal down to the Dee Basin. All boats passing between
the Dee and the Chester Canal now passed along a section of the Ellesmere Canal. At the same time
the route was established for the main Ellesmere Canal. The intention was to continue the Ellesmere
Navigation across the River Dee and then on to Trevor via Wrexham and Ruabon, then crossing
both the Dee and Ceiriog headed towards Shrewsbury with branches towards Ellesmere and
Llanymynech.

But such is the nature of canal affairs, that often what is planned, is rarely finished as intended.
Like the Chester Canal before them, who hoped for a share in the developing pottery trade through
a canal to Middlewich, the Ellesmere Canal also found that the industrial area around Wrexham
and Ruabon was outside the reach of making a canal. Terrain there was a principal obstacle,
although the wishes of certain wealthy landowners created other factors.

This area had a long history connected with the iron trade and coal mining, with charcoal furnaces
operating during the seventeenth century and eighteenth century at Bersham, Plasmadoc and
Ruabon. With the development of coke smelting, new smelting furnaces were established in this
area. Edward Rowland, for example, established the “Ruabon Furnace” in 1790.

It was an area ripe for canal development. Had the Ellesmere Canal completed this canal, it would
have contributed to trade on their waterway. Instead, that trade found its way by road or tramway
to the navigable Dee Estuary.

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The nature of the hilly terrain was to prove a challenge to the engineering skills of this period, even
if such skills were rapidly being developed as canals were constructed across the Midlands, North
West and elsewhere.
The Chester Canal
Whilst the principal focus of this book is to look at the canals that cross the border into Wales,
mention must be made of the canal that made that route possible. The factors that led to the
formation of the borders routes and their relative infrastructure will be discussed in Chapters 1-3.
Construction of the Chester Canal was intended to reap the rewards of the salt industry, but their
principal goal of Middlewich was denied to the proprietors, and so the canal as built was made
from the Dee at Chester to Nantwich. It was made to barge dimension, which enabled flats to reach
Nantwich.
Trade was poor, but the making of the Ellesmere Canal provided hope for improvement and when
the intended main route from Shrewsbury to the Dee at Chester had parts not completed, the making
of a link through to the Chester Canal at Hurleston, near Nantwich, provided new trade from the
Border waters to both Chester and Nantwich.

Entrance to Nantwich Basin, Chester Canal
The terminus of the Chester Canal was made near the road to Tarporley on the west side of
Nantwich, and through this distant location from the town centre, all goods were transferred by
road. Ray Shill 864005

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Nantwich Basin, Chester Canal
The basin as built, and as it remained was a long wide structure, flanked on both sides by a few
warehouses, but there was also a large amount of open wharf space for bulk cargoes such as coal
and timber. RCHS Slide Collection 75196

Warehouse, Nantwich Basin, Chester Canal
Merchandise traffic handled at Nantwich Wharf included the cheese trade, which was an important
traffic carried along the canal. This warehouse stored cheese for transit. From 1877 for a couple of
years these premises also served as a temporary boatman’s mission. The buildings survived to pass
into the ownership of British Waterways, but have now been demolished. Ray Shill 864006

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Boatmen’s Mission, Nantwich
The mission at Nantwich was constructed about 1879 and was looked after, at first, by the Anglican
curate, Rowland Barker. Facilities offered included a clothing club. This mission is said to have
ceased to serve the boaters needs during the early 1900s when a new, and larger, mission was
established at Barbridge. The Nantwich Mission was later used as an office for Samuel Holland
and Son, cheese manufacturers. British Waterways took charge of the warehouse and mission
during 1968, and made some improvements to the structure. By 2000, the mission building had
deteriorated and has now been demolished. RCHS Slide Collection 75157

Nantwich Basin, Chester Canal
There were two main warehouse buildings placed on either side of the basin, a location which the
Shropshire Union referred to as Basin End. The warehouse and boatmen’s mission were placed on
the west side of the basin, whilst the larger structure, above, was situated on the east side where
the access road entered the wharf. Ray Shill 864014

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Bridge 92, Nantwich Junction Bridge
The Chester Canal route to the basin continued to the right past the roving bridge. This bridge, 92,
spanned the entrance to the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal, which continues straight on
and spans the Tarporley Road by a cast iron aqueduct.
Ray Shill 864056

River Navigation
The Severn was navigable for small barges as far as Pool Quay; here, the Severn came close to the
road (now the A483) from Welshpool to Llanymynech, Oswestry and Wrexham. At Pool Quay
there is no obvious evidence of a river quay, but it is quite likely craft moored alongside the river
bank loading and discharging cargoes and exchanging trade with wagons or storing goods in
premises across the road. It was the Montgomery Turnpike Trust which had control of these roads.

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The Severn at Pool Quay
The river bank was once a means of conducting commerce and trade. It was common for timber
felled locally to be sent by barge down river. There was also a trade in pig iron and bar iron
associated with the nearby New Quay Forge and the Vrnwy forges at Dolobran and Mathrafal.
Ray Shill 839010

Powis Arms and Quay House, Pool Quay
There is a group of buildings at Pool Quay whose origins are contemporary with the navigation on
the Severn. They include the Powis Arms (left) which is said to be some 300 years old. It was a
hostelry for the boatmen, waiting for the river levels to be high enough to travel on to Shrewsbury.
Ray Shill 839015

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Canal Junction at Hurleston
Ray Shill 873701

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Chapter 1

The Ellesmere Canal (Hurleston – Carreghofa)

The building of the canal between Chester & Nantwich provided a barge width navigation suitable
for flats to navigate. Had the proposed link to the Trent & Mersey been made, a very different
trading map may have resulted, with Middlewich becoming an inland port, like Shardlow, for the
interchange between narrow boats and larger vessels. The opposition from the Trent & Mersey
Canal proprietors prevented that waterway junction and was to provide a severe financial handicap
for the Chester Canal Company.

Schemes were subsequently suggested for waterway communications linking the industrial areas
around Wrexham with the Chester Canal. Such a vision was not available or practical for flats to
reach the borders where industry came to include coal mining, limestone quarrying and iron
working. Such were the levels imposed on canal engineering that a narrow canal link was chosen
to be made.

Whilst the navigation to Nantwich was initially lightly used, the narrow canal link made later from
Hurleston to Ellesmere, Llanymynech and Trevor provided increased trade through to Chester and
the Mersey. Known from the start as the Ellesmere Canal, this route had not been the preferred
choice, with a canal via Ruabon and Wrexham to Chester being the original Parliamentary approved
route. In fact, the intention had been to link the River Severn at Shrewsbury with the Dee at Chester
and the Mersey at a riverside hamlet called Netherpool.

Opposing teams of promoters initially tried to pursue two separate concerns and route options
(Eastern and Western) for the canal that linked Shrewsbury with the Mersey; they eventually came
together as one venture. That was the Ellesmere Canal. The need for an experienced canal engineer
led to the appointment of William Jessop to supervise the project. He recommended the western
route, but the parliamentary application that was submitted during September 1792 had alterations
to the course that was originally surveyed. Some might argue that Jessop’s route involved some
ambitious engineering projects.

William Jessop (1745-1815) had been employed as contractor for the Chester Canal, in partnership
with James Pinkerton. His responsibilities with the Ellesmere were that of an oversight role. He
was actively engaged on other projects at the same time. These included the Barnsley Canal, the
Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Junction Canal, Cromford Canal, Nottingham Canal, Grantham
Canal, River Trent Navigation and some work on the Rochdale Canal.

With such various responsibilities, he had to rely on the resident engineers for the essential ground

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work and surveys. In this regard, it had been John Duncombe who had surveyed the Western Route,
which Jessop largely adopted. Duncombe’s role has been largely forgotten, but he did set out
sections which were built as part of the final route. William Turner had surveyed the Eastern Route,
but both Duncombe and Turner continued to serve the Ellesmere Canal Company, bringing their
individual surveying skills to the team, even if their views differed. Both were kept busy with route
alterations as construction of the waterway proceeded.

Change was a common factor in canal and railway construction. Plans were altered to suit
engineering difficulties, finance, land owner opposition, trade, or even policy decisions. The
complicated factors that influenced the various alterations to the Ellesmere Canal route proved to
be a combination of engineering challenges, available funds and the need to complete the waterway
to the Mersey transport routes. It would be some seven years following on from the original Act
that this change of policy would take place, and in those seven years up to 1800, construction work
commenced on different parts of the authorised route, even if sections might never be used.

The canal company solicitors, Potts and Leeke, of Chester handled all the legal affairs including all
parliamentary work. They held copies of the plans and sections of the route, whilst John Duncombe
and William Turner were instructed to set out the line of the canal between (1) the Dee and the
Mersey, (2) Pontcysyllte (River Dee) and Pont Faen (River Ceiriog), and (3) between Hordley and
the turnpike at Queens Head.

Those wanting to act as contractors for the route between the Dee and the Mersey were requested
to send their proposals to Potts & Leeke by 25 August 1793. Samuel Weston, engineer, of Oxford,
in partnership with his son John, was awarded this contract and they went on to construct the whole
of what became known as the Wirral Line, from Chester to Whitby Locks at Netherpool. Contracts
for the set out of canals elsewhere followed later, in 1794.

The team of John Duncombe (engineer), William Turner (architect) and Arthur Davies (surveyor)
required somebody to supervise their diverse talents at a local level. This new post was advertised
in September 1793, and the notice was published in various newspapers. The advert that appeared
in the Northampton Mercury on 21 September 1793 read as follows:

Ellesmere Canal Navigation

The Committee of the ELLESMERE CANAL COMPANY , Do hereby give Notice, That they
propose to appoint a proper Person to be surveyor of the Works, intended to be carried on
under the Powers of the Act of Parliament for making the said Canal, - The Person to be
appointed will be expected to give security in the Sum of 5000 l, or upwards, for the faithful
Performance of the Trust to be reposed in him, he must be qualified to superintend the Works,
to assist in the making, and see the Execution of all Contracts which may be entered into by
the Committee, to pay the Workmen, keep accounts of the Expenditure of the Money to be
laid out in making the Canal and executing all other Works belonging thereto, and must have
an indisputable Character for Integrity, Sobriety and Correctness in keeping Accounts; As
his whole Time will be expected to be devoted to the Interests of this Company, an adequate
salary will be allowed him- Any Person so qualified, any may wish for the Appointment, is

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desired to send his Proposals, sealed up, with the names of his Surities, and of some proper
Persons from whom his Character may be known, to the Committee at their next Meeting at
the Royal Oak, in Ellesmere, on the 23rd Day of September next.

POTTS and LEEKE
Chester, 21st Aug 1793

The appointment of Thomas Telford as general agent, surveyor, engineer and overlooker was to
have a far reaching effect on the subsequent course of the canal and its infrastructure. At first, his
duties, as per the job description, were to set out the line and superintend building the waterway.
Telford was then a novice in canal affairs, and came into the service of the Ellesmere Canal Company
with experience in road building. Since 1788, he had been the Surveyor of Public Works for the
county of Shropshire, a role which he retained.

Meanwhile, there were already revisions regarding the route from Pontcysyllte south, and to serve
the quarries at Porthwain, combined with a canal link to the collieries near Sweeney. The Mayor of
Oswestry was concerned that better canal links should be made to the industries there. William
Jessop and Thomas Dadford had proposed a deviation and branch via Sweeney Hall, but by January
1794, Jessop had come to favour the southern route to Llanymynech. Whilst these deliberations
went on at committee level, the part from Hordley to the Queens Head was allowed to go forward.

During February 1794, advertisements were published asking for any person to execute that part
of the Ellesmere Canal from the Queens Head Turnpike to Hordley. Proposals were to be sent to
Potts & Leeke, or to Mr Thomas Telford at Shrewsbury. This notice requested security from those
persons wishing to undertake the work.

The choice of location is of interest for the starting of the narrow canal as it involved the crossing
of the River Perry by a stone aqueduct. Here also was Rednal Moss, which may have provided an
initial supply of water for the contractors’ boats as they moved spoil. Such work was lightly graded,
but as the contract proceeded it involved the making of three locks at Aston and then a level section
through to Llanymynech where limestone was quarried, and this immediately provided a cargo
for the waterway. James Houghton & Sons of Withington and Thomas Ford of Willington were
awarded the task of making this first section of the canal from Hordley to Queens Head, and then
a few hundred yards on to the site of the top lock.

This early canal also had a private branch from Withington to Green Gates. It was made at the
request of John Lloyd of Aston, and was provided with a towpath on the north-west side. Permission
to build this branch waterway was granted by the Ellesmere Canal Committee in May 1794.

From the start, the tasks of cutting and digging out the canal and the making of bridges were given
to contractors, whilst the making of locks and aqueducts was assigned to others with the skills in
that sphere. Those that carried out the work often signed a contract, although a portion of the
construction was given to contractors who performed the task on measurement and valuation.

Construction to Llanymynech roughly followed the intended course as originally proposed

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previously. The approach to Llanymynech had been planned as at the 266ft level in 1792. In 1793,
the level had been altered (by Jessop & Dadford) to 350 ft and included a branch to Llangedwyn in
order to serve both the limestone quarries and coal mines near Oswestry.

What was built under Telford was a canal at the 248 ft level (o.d). The lower level facilitated a
simpler junction with the Montgomery Canal, whose own proposed route had also intended to join
the Ellesmere Canal through two sets of locks near the Llanymynech quarries. Whilst the
engineering challenges were less, the distance from the quarries and mines to the canal were greater.
In May 1794, whilst Houghton and Ford were engaged on their section, Telford was requested to
continue the canal from Marston Moor to Llanymynech to keep men employed.

When the Queens Head contract was sufficiently advanced, Houghton and Ford were given the
work to build the canal by Maesbury Marsh to the Knockin - Oswestry Road (August 1794). In
September 1794, another contract was let for the section from the Knockin Road to Llanymynech
and the junction with the Montgomeryshire Canal. John Fletcher gave the cheapest price, and was
awarded the work. Through the use of iron railways, links were made to the canal side. A company
owned tramway from Crick Heath Wharf, built about 1794, brought limestone from the Whitehaven
Quarry.

In later years, Gronwyn Wharf handled coal shipment brought by the Morda Tramway or by road.
The industries centred around Maesbury also included a lead smelting plant owned by the White
Gritt Mining Company. This plant was placed beside the canal and the turnpike from Oswestry to
Knockin. Maesbury also had a wharf, warehouse and crane held at one time by Edward Peate. The
smelt site became a bone works.

Water powered, and subsequently steam powered, corn mills were part of the industries of
Maesbury using the Morda Brook for power. Peates Mill at Maesbury Hall was served by a branch
of the canal constructed at a later date.

The Llanymynech Branch was finished during 1795, and work then proceeded on parts of the main
line. If it is considered that Shrewsbury to Pontcysyllte were part of that intended main line route,
the extension from Hordley southwards and through Frankton northwards were part of what
needed building next.

A junction was made near Lockgate Bridge, presently No. 70 on the canal, where the canal was
raised through three locks, a single and a staircase pair, to Frankton. Here another junction was
made, Frankton Junction, where the canal again divided. The main route travelled north from here
and the branch which was planned to go to Prees via Ellesmere turned eastwards.

By 1796, select members of the canal committee had been assigned sections of the canal where work
was ongoing. They were able to see for themselves the complicated issues that had arisen from such
a diverse project. A key result of their involvement was the change in priority over the route to
Ellesmere and beyond.

Water supply to the working section from Llanymynech was improved from time to time. During

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April 1797, Telford was instructed to negotiate with the mill owners on the River Perry for a supply
of water. Water supply in April 1803 for the Llanymynech Branch was further improved with the
agreed purchase of Maesbury Old Mill.

Where a branch had been proposed in the general direction of Whitchurch, the best option of a
route to Chester via the Chester Canal started to take form between the years 1798 and 1800. William
Turner had noted, in 1795, that a line to connect the Whitchurch Branch with the Chester Canal
could save money. This option would avoid making expensive embankments, and also passed
through a country that had “a great want of coal and lime”.

In July 1796, John Duncombe was instructed to meet the Chester Canal engineer (Fletcher) in order
to agree a route that the Whitchurch Branch may be extended to join the Chester Canal. Duncombe
was to “determine a line of junction with the Chester Canal”.

There was also the matter of water supply for the Wirral Line, which required improvement. In
August 1796, the Ellesmere Canal Committee decided to make a feeder from Cholmondeley Brook
to the Chester Canal in order to increase water supply for their working length of waterway.

With the work to complete Weston Wharf on the line to Shrewsbury in progress, focus then turned
on to the Whitchurch line in the ultimate direction of Tilstock Park. Work on building the canal
from Welsh Frankton to Ellesmere and beyond, and the Whitchurch Branch, was let in February
1797 to Henry Mansfield, of Lilleshall, John Mansfield, of Pool Quay and John Fletcher, also of Pool
Quay. Henry Mansfield was paid £1677-11-10d for his share of the work and Fletcher received
£400-19-0d.

The extension from Ellesmere to Bettisfield on the line of the Whitchurch Branch was proposed to
be let during June 1797. Whilst water supply had been considered a problem for making the canal
in that direction, with the abandonment of work in the Wrexham area during 1798, the die had been
set for another route. This was extending the waterway through Bettisfield, crossing Whixall Moss,
passing Whitchurch and heading for Wrenbury and Baddiley, and joining the Chester Canal at
Hurleston. The descent of 19 locks proved to be a much easier option than what had been planned
via Ruabon.

In November 1798, clay was ordered to be set aside for making bricks for the short tunnel known
as the Bridge Tunnel, which lay under the Shrewsbury Road and was approached at either end by
deep cuttings.

According to Telford’s report to the Ellesmere Canal presented on 15 November 1801, the canal
from Frankton was in water and navigable past Ellesmere to Hampton Bank. In this section was
the 87 yard long tunnel, Ellesmere Tunnel (Telford quoted the length as 90ft). There were
embankments crossing Hampton Moss, and cuttings and embankments east of Hampton Bank.
Contractors working on the part that crossed Whixall Moss had opened a two mile section for the
purpose of draining off the water. By this method, the ground was consolidated so that the
permanent line of canal could be made. At Hampton Bank, a wharf and three limekilns were built,
that were the property of the Earl of Bridgewater.

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In November 1801, priority was given to make the canal between Whixall Moss and Tilstock Park.
After crossing Whixall Moss using embankments and cuttings, there was a long section of deep
cutting to Tilstock Park. Crossing Whixall Moss was a time consuming process, that apart from
draining, required the movement of spoil to make up the bed of the canal and towing path.
By May 1803, advertisements were placed for making the three mile section from Tilston Park to
the south side of the Wrexham Road near Whitchurch. The bulk of the construction from
construction can be attributed to Samuel Betton, who was paid £39,995-11-9d for the section
Frankton to Tilstock Park, for works carried out. A wharf was made at Tilstock, along with a double
cottage. Limekilns were also erected there.
Finance for the link between the Whitchurch Branch and the Chester Canal included £2000 deposited
in the Chester Bank during 1803. Fletcher and Simpson received £23,504-4-4d for the building of
canal and locks from Tilstock Park to the Chester Canal.
From Tilstock Park eastward, the route crossed first the Wrexham Road and then passed close to
Whitchurch before turning again towards Grindley Brook and the Chester Road. Here, six locks
were constructed; a staircase set of three was made to lower the canal to the Chester Road, and then
three normal locks were made on the opposite side.
From there, a descent of 19 locks lowered the canal by 128 feet. The foundations of the locks in some
cases were built on quicksand and making this part of the canal was at a cost. The technique adopted
was to secure the foundations by platforms and dovetail pilings. By giving vent to the water that
rises through the sand, it was believed that the works would be safe.
Work on building this line went on through 1800 to 1805, when the canal was opened throughout
to Pontcysyllte, and the navigation was established through to the Dee and Mersey from the Welsh
Borderland.

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Sketch Map of the Ellesmere & Montgomeryshire Canals
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Lockgate Bridge, 70
Contractors built the first section of the Ellesmere Canal from Hordley towards Queens Head. This
was a level section that crossed the moss at Rednal. Lockgate Bridge was one of the first bridges
built on this section. Like all bridges of this period, bricks required for the structure would have
been hand made using local clays. This bridge was numbered in the series that started at Hurleston.
Ray Shill 875081

Aston Locks & House
The Ellesmere Canal was constructed first from Hordley towards Llanymynech, and that early
work involved the making of three locks at Aston, near Queenshead. Ray Shill 875468

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Maesbury Bridge, Maesbury Marsh
From Aston, the canal was level to Llanymynech. This section was the first to open, and brought
commercial traffic on to the waterway. The Navigation Inn is seen on the right hand side of the
Bridge (No 79), and in this 1960s view, the remains of the Shropshire Union Canal Company
warehouses are on the left, whilst the two story original warehouse form part of the Navigation
Inn premises on the right of the bridge. Weaver Collection 47934

Former Wharf Cottages, Maesbury Marsh
These cottages formed the northern perimeter of the former Ellesmere Canal wharf at Maesbury
Marsh. Ray Shill 875552

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The Canalside near Pant bridge 90, 1991
This group of canal side cottages form
a line alongside the towpath.
Ray Shill 875705

Llanymynech Basins
Limestone was the driving
factor that led to the
making of the canal to
Llanymynech first; once
this had been done, work
proceeded with making the
main line. There were two
basins that had tramway
wharves, which brought
limestone from the
quarries. A large Hoffman
Kiln was also constructed,
in later times, near these
basins to burn limestone to
make lime for agricultural
and other uses.
Baxter Collection 24146

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Welsh Frankton Bottom Lock
Once the canal had been made to Llanymynech and a junction made with the Montgomery Canal
at Carreghofa, the next phase of construction was to make the intended main line through to Chester.
This work began north of Lockgate Bridge, where four locks were constructed to Welsh Frankton.
Ray Shill 875041

Welsh Frankton Staircase Locks
The four locks at Welsh Frankton comprise two conventional pound locks and a staircase pair.
Ray Shill 875015

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Welsh Frankton Locks
The view looking down the canal from the double staircase to the next lock. Ray Shill 875018

Bridge 69. 2016
At Welsh Frankton, what is now the main line to Hurleston turns eastward to Ellesmere. When
contractors started to make this waterway, the intention was then to complete the waterway as a
branch that served Ellesmere, Prees and Whitchurch. Ray Shill 874995

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Ellesmere Canal depot
The Canal through Ellesmere to Prees and Whitchurch was first conceived as a branch from the
main line that was to run from Shrewsbury to Chester. That plan changed during the year 1800,
with new surveys finally becoming adopted that placed Ellesmere on the main line from
Llanymynech to Hurleston, where a junction was made with the Chester Canal. Ray Shill 874880

Ellesmere Depot - Boat dock and gauging house
This building served the Ellesmere Canal as a dry dock, stables and stores and is grade II* listed.
The dock was used for boat building, boat repairs and indexing (gauging) purposes. The structure
was constructed as a two storey building, complete with a lean-to on the canal bank side.
Ray Shill 874878

25

Beech House, Ellesmere Canal Company Offices
The extensive residence and offices of the Ellesmere & Chester Canal at Ellesmere comprise a range
of buildings, which are listed Grade II* and Grade II by Historic England. Ray Shill 874875

Cottages, Ellesmere
Ray Shill 874877

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Blacksmiths and Joiners Shops, Ellesmere
The collection of buildings at the
Ellesmere Depot includes a range of
blacksmith and joiner shop buildings
placed beside the canal at the south east
side of the site. These buildings are listed
Grade II*. They have been added to and
improved with time, and elements were
originally single storey structures.
Ray Shill 874879

Ellesmere Tunnel, East Portal, 2016
The short (87 yard long) tunnel was constructed east of Ellesmere as the contractors gradually
built the canal to Whixall. Ray Shill 874811

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Ellesmere Tunnel, West Portal, 2016
The tunnel was constructed under the crossroads of two turnpikes, where the road from Shrewsbury
met the road to Ellesmere and Oswestry. Ray Shill 874812

Hampton Bank and Cottage
At Hampton Bank, a wharf was provided for interchange traffic passing from canal to the turnpike
from Ellesmere through Welshampton to Wem. In addition to the wharf, three limekilns were
erected here, which were the property of the Earl of Bridgewater. Ray Shill 874614

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Bridge, near Ellesmere
Weaver Collection 47840

Clapping Gate Bridge 49
Bridges on the canal towards Tilstock Park and Prees were constructed during the first years of the
nineteenth century as contractors working for Samuel Betton made the canal towards Bettisfield
and Whixall. Ray Shill 87596

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Toll House, Junction with Prees Branch
Contractors made the junction at Whixall for the canal to continue towards Whitchurch (left) or
Prees (right). The toll house faced the junction, and a roving bridge was erected to span the
Whitchurch line for horses to cross on to the towpath for the Prees Arm. The buildings, which are
now a farm house, are grade II listed. Ray Shill 878141

Paul Sheldon Collection PS0396
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Whixall Moss Lift Bridge
The canal followed a straight course across Whixall Moss. Contractors had to deal with the water
sodden ground when making the waterway. This was done by cutting channels to drain off the
excess water before the bed and banks of the canal were built up. Paul Sheldon Collection PS1117

New Mill Lift Bridge
New Mill was placed near the canal as it turned northwards towards Grindley Brook and Hurleston.
Here marked the start of the route that had not been planned. Contractors now laboured to finish
the waterway to the Chester Canal at Hurleston. Ray Shill 874140

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Grindley Brook Staircase Locks (3)
The triple staircase at Grindley Brook marked the end of the ascent of the canal from Hurleston.
Here, the canal climbed a final 19ft to reach a long level section before the descent at Welsh Frankton
(to Llanymynech) or the continued ascent at New Marton (to Trevor and Llangollen).
Ray Shill 874090

Grindley Brook Staircase Locks, before
improvement
Before British Waterways improved the
towpath at Grindley Brook, the cobbles worn
by countless numbers of horses and boatmen
passing up and down the flight were visible.
Paul Sheldon Collection PS0138

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Lock House, Grindley Brook
The house is placed at the top of the staircase at Grindley Brook. It is grade II listed and has various
architectural features, which are often associated with Thomas Telford. They include the wide
hipped slate roof. The canal façade has a bowed section complete with slated canopy.
Ray Shill 874095

Grindley Brook Lock 4
Beyond the staircase were constructed three conventional locks (4-6). There was then a series of
locks that steadily lowered the level to the junction with the Chester Canal. Ray Shill 874050

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Marbury Lock
The gradual lowering of the level was achieved by locks spaced out along the route. The descent
varied between 6ft 10 in and 6ft. At Marbury, the difference in levels was 6ft. The route from Tilstock
Park to Nantwich (Hurleston Junction) was constructed by John Fletcher & John Simpson. Much
of the building work for bridges and locks can be attributed to Simpson and his team of navvies.
Ray Shill 873905

Wrenbury Mill
There are three lift bridges at Wrenbury and two are listed (grade II*). The middle one at Wrenbury
Mill has been improved and altered over the years, as it carries road traffic. In this view, the Mill
was still owned by Arthur Sumner Ltd. Narrow boats continued to carry traffic in connection with
this mill until the 1960s. Paul Sheldon Collection PS0141

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Hurleston Top Lock and Cottage
There are four locks that lower the canal by 34 ft 3 in to meet up with the Chester Canal. All locks
are Grade II listed and the listing credits John Fletcher for their design, although John Simpson
would have been responsible for the construction. Ray Shill 873721

Hurleston Reservoir
The weir above the top lock admits water from the canal into the Reservoir. Ray Shill 873726

35

Hurleston 2nd Lock
The locks are now bounded to the north by the Reservoir. This reservoir was a later addition in
order to save water for general canal supply. Ray Shill 873711

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Chapter 2

The Ellesmere & Chester Canal (Welsh Frankton – Trevor)

The route to Trevor was intended to be part of the main line from the River Dee to Shrewsbury. It
was a course that saw different proposals made during the last decade of the eighteenth century.

John Duncombe, engineer, of Oswestry made the first survey, in 1791, which linked Netherpool
(later Ellesmere Port) on the Mersey with the Chester Canal at Chester, and then from that waterway
to Overton and then Shrewsbury. From Overton, a branch was to be made towards Ruabon and
Llangollen with a diverging branch to Bersham. Another branch was to be made to Llanymynech.
Duncombe’s plan became the core of the project that became known as the Ellesmere Canal.
Duncombe was chosen for this role as he was acknowledged as a capable and intelligent engineer.
He took the various levels required for the survey.

During 1792, William Turner, architect and engineer of Whitchurch, suggested an alternative scheme
known as the Eastern Canal. This second scheme also started at Netherpool but then utilised a
section of the Chester Canal as far as Newton and then passed Broxton, Penley, Cockshutt and
Albrighton to meet the Severn on the east side of Shrewsbury. Turner also suggested branches from
Dymock Mill to Whitchurch, from Welshampton through Hordley to Llanymynech and from Penley
to Ruabon, where the canal split into two. The Ruabon branch division had a northern line to serve
Bersham and a western line to Llangollen and Valle Crucis.

Under the Act of Parliament 33 Geo III c91 (30 April 1793) that route was to climb 303ft to a summit
level near Ruabon, then descend another 150ft to join the river Severn at the west side of Shrewsbury.
The main engineering features included a 4607 yard long tunnel at Ruabon, a 1236 yard tunnel at
Chirk and aqueducts over the Dee at Pontcysyllte and the Ceiriog at Pontfaen. There were four
branches:

(1) From Wrexham Regis to the Brymbo Collieries
(2) From Allington to Holt
(3) From Tech Hill, near Queens Head turnpike, to Llanymynech
(4) Maestermyn Bridge to Prees Higher Heath.

North of Trevor, the canal passed through an extensive industrialised district, which included
working coal mines and the Bersham Ironworks (then owned by the Wilkinson family).

1792 was also the year the Shrewsbury Canal bill was also submitted to Parliament. This canal was

37

an extension of the tub boat network that served the iron industry of East Shropshire. A separate
proposal of 1792 aimed to provide a lock and weir on the Severn at Shrewsbury that was intended
to supply Shrewsbury with piped river water.

Resurveys of the route were requested by the Ellesmere Canal Committee. One alteration asked for
was at Wynstay Park on the line near Ruabon, where the deep cutting came close to the wall of the
park. Another involved a diversion to avoid crossing the lawn of John Humberston Cawley at
Gwersylte. In effect, a significant change to the route was suggested, which turned the course further
east but then raised it higher. Telford and his team put together the surveys. William Turner was
particularly active in this respect, persuading Jessop to abandon the long tunnel near Ruabon. Turner
called the route to the Dee through Ruabon the “colliery line”, as it was the course that passed
closest to the coal mining district. These plans were agreed by Jessop, but they included a greater
rise from the Dee at Chester to the revised summit level near Pool Mouth, which now became 379
ft, and the fall to Shrewsbury was also increased to 226ft. These alterations were approved by Act
of Parliament (36 George III c96, 14 May 1796). A part of these changes was the provision of a
reservoir at the top of the branch from Pools Mouth to Frywdd. The long tunnel near Ruabon was
also dispensed with.

Such alterations also affected the crossing of the Ceiriog. Instead of a long tunnel at Chirk, and the
crossing upstream at Pont Faen, that route was changed eastward from Froncysyllte to pass through
a short tunnel at Whitehouse (191 yards) and another at Chirk (459 yards). South of Chirk Tunnel,
the canal was widened to form a basin that held boats waiting to cross Chirk Aqueduct, and from
there the route turned to pass Chirk Bank.

Crossing the River Dee at Pontcysyllte required a tall aqueduct with extensive engineering features.
Whilst, at least, four different schemes for this structure were considered during the lengthy
waterway building period, an initial proposal was to make a masonry aqueduct with three arches.
In May 1794, James Varley of Colne, Lancashire, mason, was awarded the contract to build this
aqueduct. Work started early on this contract, as it was the practice to build the lengthy construction
projects first, and this difficult crossing of the River Dee required priority. Construction started on
Pontycysllte Aqueduct as early as 1795, but the design was varied as different schemes for the
linking canal routes were considered and then altered. Even the height above the River Dee became
a variable factor including the ludicrous suggestion of locks down and up at each end. Such
indecision about the form of this aqueduct led to the work being suspended whilst contractors built
Chirk Aqueduct and Chirk Tunnel.

In January 1796, the canal committee agreed to a proposal from John Simpson and William
Hazeldine of Shrewsbury, builders, and William Davies of Chirk, victualler, to build Chirk Aqueduct.

There were many obstacles to the route between Pontcysyllte and the Dee. In addition to issues
with landowners, the mill owners in the Gresford Valley had complaints which required a canal
sub-committee to negotiate with them. This water source (the Dee) was considered important to
the canal, but such was the opposition to take this water by the mill owners that other supplies had
to be considered and evaluated. Finally, a rather innovative solution was found.

38

Bala Lake and the River Dee were first considered as a possible source of water for the main canal
in March 1796. After this new object had been decided by the committee, William Jessop was asked
to convey this view to Sir Watkin William Wynn, the major landowner in this district, and a clause
was inserted in the 1796 Act. Such a plan was evidently not progressed at this time, although not
forgotten.

An isolated section had been excavated (1796-1798) for 2½ miles along the planned Frywdd Branch,
which left the intended course of the main line at Pools Mouth. John Fletcher was given the contract
to build this part. Richard Kirk was ordered to supply water for the Frywdd Branch using his
pumping engine to lift water from his mines into that level.

Bricks were also ordered to be made for the locks at Gresford. Such was the descent of these locks
(it would have been the steepest rise on British canals) that boat lifts were considered. In July 1797,
Henry Williams of Ketley was asked to view the line between Gwersylte and Chester for the
locations where inclined planes might be made. Rowland and Pickering had also built an
experimental Boat Lift (to a patented design) on the route of the canal near Ruabon. This lift was
operational by the year 1796 and no doubt would have become part of the canal to Wrexham and
Chester, serving as an alternative to conventional locks. However, by 1800, the prospect of
completing the canal to Chester had diminished. Rowland & Pickering now asked for payment for
their lift. They stated that they had spent £800 on the project; the Ellesmere Canal Company decided
to offer £200 in compensation. The location of this boat lift has never been determined, although it
is reasonable to assume that it was placed at Trevor near the end of the terminus basins. Here, the
ground levels would have suited the experiment.

The decision to delay the construction of the canal north of Ruabon came after Telford made a
survey of the locks required for the 379 ft fall to the river Dee. By March 1798, the committee was
considering the option of building a railway and inclines instead of the canal. Telford was amongst
a canal delegation that visited the Peak Forest Canal tramway to consider this system being built
on their line of canal.

Following this visit, the concept of railways replacing waterways was accepted by the committee,
and in June 1798 work on the Ffrwd Branch was stopped with the intention of making a railway
instead. Legal opinions were taken as to the legality of making a railway on a route authorised to
be a canal. There appears to have been mixed opinions as to this respect, and subsequent plans in
this region were halted.

Considerable amounts of time and money had been spent on this route. John Duncombe, having
proposed the original line and long tunnel, met opposition from some land owners which led to
William Turner suggesting the higher summit line. Both schemes had their engineering difficulties,
but in hindsight, the proposals made by Duncombe may have proved to be a more practical option.

Canal construction at this period covered the line from Frankton to Chirk, with contractors digging
the line through to Chirk Bank. This section involved the building of two locks at New Marton, the
Aqueduct at Chirk, and Chirk Tunnel. The authorisation of weighing machines to be supplied at
Chirk Bank and Rhosweil Wharves (November 1798) indicates that the completion of this section

39

was imminent. Meanwhile, work proceeded to complete Chirk Aqueduct. William Hazeldine of
Shrewsbury had the contract to supply iron plates for the base of the trough. By November 1801,
Chirk Aqueduct was also finished. This aqueduct was made 710 ft long and was 70ft above the
river below. It was constructed with both masonry and iron elements. The waterway was formed
with a cast iron trough (supplied by William Hazeldine) and square masonry on the sides. Ten
masonry arches carry the aqueduct across the valley, and each is 40ft apart. The masonry spandrels
that support the trough were made hollow. Work had begun in June 1796, meaning over five years
were required for the task.

Chirk Tunnel was constructed as an open cut, as the contractors dug out the spoil from the hillside
and then arched over. This technique ensured a proper brick arch and a covering of clay and stones.
Any water passing through the upper strata was deflected around the arch and into the canal at
the tunnel base.

North of Chirk Tunnel, a three quarter of mile long deep cutting was made. It was also finished
late in 1801. At the end of 1801, the canal was opened from Chirk Bank through to the south end
of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

John Simpson, mason of Shrewsbury, was awarded the contract to make the pillars and abutments
of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (February 1800). His charge for the square masonry was one shilling and
two pence per cubic foot, and for the rubble work was four shillings and nine pence per cubic foot.
William Hazeldine supplied the ironwork that formed the trough which carried the canal across
the valley.

Simpson in canal accounts was paid for work on masonry and brick work across the construction
project. From Chirk Bank to Pontcysyllte, he was paid £3258-4-3½d. The partnership of Simpson
and Davies was also paid £20,554-13-1d by measurement and valuation for deep cutting and tunnels.

From Chirk Bank to the north side of the Dee, the distance was only four miles. Apart from the two
aqueducts and two tunnels, there was nearly a mile of extensive cuttings. The remainder consisted
of benching along very high and steep banks. The long southern embankment to Pontcysyllte
Aqueduct was constructed by Davies and Co and they received £5827-7-7d for this task.

During 1801, there were still variations considered for Pontcysyllte, and these included a railway
instead of a canal across the Dee. The choice of a canal remained the preferred option. The aqueduct
was one thousand and seven feet in length, one hundred and twenty six feet and eight inches in
height from the surface of the flat rock on the south side of the Dee to the top iron plates of the
waterway. There are nineteen arches of forty-five feet span each. The piers of the aqueduct (eighteen
in number) are made from square masonry. The arches and the waterway are composed of cast
iron. Mathew Davidson was superintendent of the works.

John Duncombe ceased to act as engineer for the Ellesmere Canal in 1803. He had been employed
as resident engineer from 1791 until 30 June 1803. His salary and expenses had amounted to
£4402-2-5d. His contribution to making the waterway was important; however his future role

40

surveying Scottish roads for Telford, proved a difficult job to perform in the isolated and barren
places where his new post took him. He is said to have died a pauper.

Since the foundation stone had been laid in 1795, some masonry work had been done by James
Varley and much by John Simpson. The total cost in accounts over the ten year construction period
was:

Trials for stone paid by Thomas Telford £116-12-1
James Varley for masonry £2001-19-10½
Simpson & Varley for masonry £10,445-14-7
John Simpson for masonry £8520-1-1
William Hazeldine for ironwork £17,284-17-5 ½
William Smith for model of one arch £46-15-10
John Fletcher for deals £82-10-0

Total £38,498-10-11

William Hazeldine owned a foundry at Coleham, Shrewsbury, but decided in order to reduce
transport cost to build another foundry near the termination of the canal at Plas Kynaston. Here,
all the castings were made for the aqueduct and the iron plates for the tramway to Ruabon Brook.

Attempts to link up with the Frywdd Branch were again considered in 1800, with a sub-committee
appointed. In February 1803, all thoughts for a canal link were abandoned north of Trevor, and
plans for parliamentary approval to make a railway from there to Ruabon adopted.

The scheme for taking water from Bala Lake was also proceeded with. Parliamentary approval was
sought to make a link from Bala Lake to the River Dee and pass additional water down the Dee to
a feeder near Llantisilio. This feeder was to be made to link up with the canal at Trevor, north of
the Aqueduct.

North of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the canal basin was extended for three hundred yards to a double
basin where there were wharves and the interchange between the plateway to Plaskynaston
Foundry and several collieries ended.

In the years following the opening of the canal, various improvements were made to the canal
adding wharves for various traders. Thomas Denson, resident engineer, was called upon to finish
the various alterations and supervise the unfinished sections such as the navigable feeder to the
Dee (Waterline). After all the works had been completed, in 1812, Denson was replaced by Thomas
Stanton as engineer. Stanton was previously employed as general agent.

41

Ellesmere Canal (as altered by Telford and his colleagues) - the route that was not built.
Heartland Press Collection 278612

42

Polletts Bridge (6)
Turnover bridge No 6 is one of four turnover bridges on the length from Welsh Frankton to Chirk.
Ray Shill 878065

New Marton Top Lock
The canal was extended from Welsh Frankton to Chirk Bank, and included the making of two locks
at New Marton, at which the canal reached the summit level. Michael Oxley 86891

43

New Marton lockside house and outbuildings
New Marton Locks were placed at an isolated location. These buildings are placed on the offside
of the canal surrounded by fields. Ray Shill 878112

St Martins Moor
A group of buildings at St Martins Moor, by bridge 13, functioned as warehouses for the
merchandise trade. The turnpike from Oswestry to Wrexham crossed here, enabling transfers of
goods between road and canal. Ray Shill 878136

44

Gledrid Bridge
Gledrid is placed beside the road that passes through Chirk and follows the canal closely from
Monks Bridge, Chirk Bank to Gledrid. The public house, the Poachers Pocket, adjoins the towing
path south of bridge 19. Ray Shill 878991 / 878998

45

Chirk Bank Wharf and Warehouse
The canal follows the valley side through Chirk Bank with the canal embanked as far as the
aqueduct. The section from Frankton to Chirk Bank opened whilst work on the aqueduct progressed.
A warehouse was later provided for the trade here. RCHS 70013

Chirk Bank Wharf 2016
Apart from the removal of the warehouse, little has changed at this spot. Ray Shill 879028

46

Chirk Bank Cottages 2016
There is a group of cottages which line the towpath from Chirk Bank to Chirk Aqueduct, and once
provided homes for the canal workers. They comprise four sets of buildings starting near the
aqueduct with one, then two pairs (2 & 3 and 4 & 5) and finally another single cottage.
Ray Shill 879074

Chirk Tunnel, south Portal and basin
Chirk Tunnel was made as a cut and cover tunnel, with the land first excavated and then replaced
on top after the arch of bricks had been made. Those who walk through the tunnel may notice that
the brickwork has subsided somewhat and headroom is limited. Horses that worked this canal
hauling the boats must have been of a size that could pass through such restrictive places.
Ray Shill 879125

47

Chirk basin and Aqueduct
The view looking down from the tunnel on to the aqueduct and railway viaduct has changed little,
but the traffic has. In this 1960s view, a working boat is seen moored in the place where modern
boaters’ craft now wait their turn to pass through the tunnel. Weaver Collection 47849

Chirk Aqueduct (left) and Railway Viaduct
Chirk Aqueduct was the first transport structure to cross the Ceriog Valley at this point. The adjacent
railway viaduct was built later, as were the improvements and embanking done on the nearby
turnpike to Chirk. Ray Shill 879104

48

Chirk Aqueduct 2016
Chirk Aqueduct spans the valley of the River Ceriog, with the river passing under the arch furthest
west, that is no 1 in the above view. Ray Shill 879106

Chirk Aqueduct
Looking at any individual arch of Chirk Aqueduct will show the brick and stone elements that
comprise the structure. Hidden from view is the cast iron trough that carries the waterway across
the valley. Ray Shill 879108

49

Whitehouse Tunnel, south portal 1975
The short tunnel is 191 yards long, and like Chirk and Ellesmere Tunnels, has a towpath, and is
also a point where roads cross above. The main road was the A5, which continued on to Llangollen
and North Wales. Michael Oxley 86851

Irish Bridge
The name of this Bridge would suggest an Irish connection, and the road that crosses the canal here
does link up with Telford’s road to Holyhead. Michael Oxley 86848

50