Although not mining I thought worthy of mention
Mike
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal Launch Date: 2009-01-17
Press release:
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal - Wales celebrates UNESCO World Heritage inscription for Thomas Telford’s engineering masterpiece
Following a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Seville, Wales has formally gained its third and newest UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Canal in Cefn Mawr, Wrexham, in north east Wales, now joins Wales’s two existing World Heritage sites, Blaenavon Industrial Landscape (inscribed 2000) and the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd (inscribed 1986), as one of the world’s finest surviving historical treasures.
Pontcysyllte has not only become the 28th World Heritage inscribed site in the United Kingdom but also the first World Heritage site to cross the border between two countries in the UK - as part of the 11 mile length of canal extends into England.
One of Thomas Telford’s greatest civil engineering achievements, the breathtaking aqueduct, which dates from 1805, is a masterpiece constructed of the Industrial Revolution. The site nomination was led by Wrexham County Borough Council, British Waterways and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s historic environment service, has ensured the statutory protection of the monuments by scheduling and listing the whole stretch of the canal along with its aqueducts, bridges and tunnels.
Built across the River Dee, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a popular navigational route still welcoming thousands of canal boats each year, some 204 years after its completion. The aqueduct is 126 feet high and 1,007 ft in length, but measures only 11 ft wide and 5.25 ft deep and consists of a cast iron trough supported by iron arched ribs carried above the river by eighteen hollow masonry piers.
Rhodri Morgan, First Minister for Wales, said, “When we applied for UNESCO recognition of Poncysyllte Aqueduct as a World Heritage Site we had every confidence that they would confirm what we knew already about this amazing Aqueduct constructed by Thomas Telford. Now that the World Heritage Committee has done exactly what we asked for it confirms to the fullI the outstanding universal value of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal and the important contribution it made to shaping the industrial revolution. World Heritage nomination for Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal is the cherry on the cake for Wales’s historic transport and industrial environment.”
Alun Ffred Jones, Minister for Heritage, Welsh Assembly Government, added, “The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal is a magnificent example of Wales’s heritage in action. It was the highest navigable aqueduct in the world for two centuries and continues to be one of the busiest stretches of canal in the UK with some 15,000 boat movements each year. I congratulate all those involved with this nomination. Having World Heritage status for this site will not only boost the economic and tourism potential of north-east Wales, but also deliver world-wide recognition for the built heritage of the area and ensure the Aqueduct’s protection and conservation for future generations. I would like to thank Cadw and the Royal Commission for the valuable part they have played in pulling this bid together.”
UK Minister for Culture and Tourism Barbara Follett added, UK Minister for Culture and Tourism Barbara Follett added, "The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal is a fine example of the United Kingdom's living heritage, made all the more remarkable by still being in active use today. I am sure that its inscription as a World Heritage Site will provide a well-deserved boost to the area.”
General Manager for British Waterways Wales & Border Counties Julie Sharman said the award represented a fantastic opportunity to usher in a new era of prosperity for North Wales and the Marches. ”Achieving this status means this wonderful leisure destination has achieved the recognition it deserves and bringing with it opportunities for increased economic prosperity to local communities,” said Ms Sharman.
Councillor Aled Roberts, Leader of Wrexham County Council, welcomed the announcement. “This is great news. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a major part of our heritage and regarded very fondly by local residents. It is a very proud day for Wrexham to have achieved this major coup and we hope very much that it will bring economic regeneration not only to our communities along the canal corridor but those of our neighbours Denbighshire and Shropshire.”
Councillor Bob Dutton Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities and the project, added, "I am delighted with the WHS result, a product of several years' work by officers and Councillors and our partners. I wish to thank the Ministers of the Assembly and UK Governments and their officials who have helped to take this forward. Following my study visit to World Heritage sites in northern Italy last year I am convinced we now have a great opportunity to enhance tourism and create business projects to benefit our local communities."
Other partners contributing to the project included English Heritage, Shropshire County Council, Denbighshire County Council, Inland Waterways Association and the Countryside Council for Wales.