Abseilers Begin Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Clean Up

Abseilers have scaled Pontcysyllte Aqueduct as cleaning of the iconic landmark began.

Britain’s longest, highest aqueduct was yesterday given a facelift, courtesy of abseiling contractors working for Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales.

Earlier yesterday a team of specially contracted abseilers scaled the 126ft high aqueduct to undertake work on the structure.

Specialist harnessed contractors from OCS Group company Fountains carried out vital maintenance work to remove unwanted vegetation which has taken root in crevasses of the grade one listed, scheduled ancient monument. Using trowels and other hand tools, they dug out ivy, moss, weeds and even young saplings attacking masonry on the impressive 200-year-old structure.

The work is part of a wider £80,000 Canal & River Trust project to protect heritage structures along the Llangollen and Montgomery canals this winter, including Montgomery and Chirk aqueducts, and Ellesmere, Chirk and Whitehouse tunnels.

Constructed by famous canal engineers Thomas Telford and William Jessop between 1796 and 1805, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a masterpiece of civil engineering and forms the centrepiece of a World Heritage Site.

Measuring a record-breaking 1,000 feet long and 126 feet high, the aqueduct carries the beautiful, rural Llangollen Canal over the River Dee valley. A cast iron trough, which holds 1.5 million litres of water, is supported by 18 slender sandstone piers and 19 elegant arches, each with a 45 foot span.

Steve Hinton, contracts supervisor at the Canal & River Trust, said: “This was a rare opportunity to see contractors abseiling over this breathtaking structure to remove overgrown vegetation which has built up over several years.

“The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and other historic landmarks within the World Heritage Site are some of the most visited attractions on the country’s 2,000 mile canal network. The work we are doing here will help to safeguard these unique, internationally-significant heritage structures for generations to come.”