Footnotes to Pontcysyllte aqueduct

FOOTNOTES: Pontcysyllte’s origins

At least one letter survives from William Jessop instructing Thomas Telford to change the design of Pontcysyllte aqueduct. This clearly shows that as the Ellesmere Canal Company’s engineer, Jessop was in charge, although the two clearly did discuss the design. The arched support for the iron spans almost certainly came from discussions they had with the American engineer Robert Fulton. 

Jessop’s ironworks in Butterley, Derbyshire, had previously cast the iron for the span of Holmes aqueduct, on the Derby Canal. This small aqueduct was designed by Benjamin Outram and opened in February 1796.

A month later, the Shrewsbury Canal’s cast-iron aqueduct at Longdon-on-Tern was opened. Telford produced the design with Shropshire ironmaster William Reynolds, who had a sketch of one of the earlier cast-iron aqueducts in Merthyr Tydfil which supplied water to Cyfarthfa ironworks.

With thanks to Stephen Hughes, of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales

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