Poncysyllte Aqueduct
British Waterways was delighted to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the World's oldest, longest and highest navigable cast-iron aqueduct. A series of events throughout the 2005 highlighted the significance of this magnificent engineering feat; the official birthday of the Grade I listed structure was celebrated on 26 November 2005. Even by today's engineering standards, the construction and design of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a remarkable achievement. In celebrating its 200th birthday, Wales and Border Counties waterways looked back at a fascinating history reaching this key milestone is a testament to the rugged engineering and determination of its original planners, Thomas Telford and James Jessop.
Campaign for World Heritage Site Status
Work is actively underway to gain World Heritage Site Status for this remarkable structure. During 2005, Wrexham County Borough Council, in partnership with British Waterways and with a funding contribution from Tourism Partnership North Wales, commissioned consultants to evaluate the Aqueduct's international significance and to prepare a 'Statement of Significance'. This was following advice from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
The expert team of consultants appointed was an association between two separate partnerships. Christopher Pound and Jane McDermott, both qualified architects, with an expert knowledge of the UNESCO World Heritage Process, having worked on sites from Bath to Montenegro. The other expert grouping comprised of Dr David Gwyn, a published archaeologist who specialises in transport systems, Dr Barrie Trinder and Dr Ron Fitzgerald
The consultants' findings have substantiated Pontcysyllte Aqueduct's World Heritage credentials through a series of expert papers. They have identified that Pontcysyllte Aqueduct meets three UNESCO World Heritage Criteria :- Criterion C (i) - it represents a masterpiece of human creative genius;
- Criterion C (ii) - it exhibits an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town planning or landscape design; and
- Criterion C (iv) - and it is an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural or technological ensemble or landscape, which illustrates (a) significant stages (s) in human history.
With the confidence of this expert evidence in place, both British Waterways and Wrexham County Borough Council have agreed to work-up the nomination bid and lobby for support for a UK slot i.e. to be supported by Welsh Assembly Government and UK Government as an agreed UK nomination in the next few years. This work is now progressing at a pace.