A short history of the Llangollen canal

In 1762, the Duke of Bridgwater had a canal constructed to take coal from the coalface of his mines at Worsley direct into the city of Manchester, halving the cost of coal overnight. This answered the problems of bulk carrying in the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, being superior to the rutted roads, the unpredictable rivers and the limitations of the horse and cart. The Duke's success led to no less than 5000 miles of canal being built in the next 60 years, a period characterised by the name ‘Canal Mania'.

In 1792, the Ellesmere Canal Co was founded, with the aim of connecting the Mersey (Ellesmere Port was to be the port for the Ellesmere Canal) to the Dee at Chester and on to the Severn at Shrewsbury, which was then navigable through to Bristol.

This would provide a waterway through North Wales (fuels, raw materials), and the Midlands (factories, finished goods), with a major port at each end (Liverpool and Bristol) providing imports and exports. There would always be work for a boat operator. It will be no surprise, then, that £1 million was promised in one afternoon for this ambitious scheme.

However, as time went on, investors found other outlets for their cash and only two parts of the plan were completed - Ellesmere Port to Chester and Trevor to Ellesmere. This latter part was the problem, being isolated from other canals.

The nearest canal was at Crewe, where Josiah Wedgwood's Trent and Mersey passed through. Telford knew that Crewe was built on massive salt deposits, and the water supply was tainted, so he offered to bring fresh water from Wales if he could join on to their canal. The deal was done - but where was he to obtain this fresh water?

As he stood on the aqueduct, he realised that the River Dee, now 126 feet below, would be much higher up in the mountains, so he dug the narrow, twisting feeder canal up the valley to deliver the water to satisfy his end of the deal.

To this day, 12- to 18-million gallons of water find their way daily down to Crewe due to Thomas Telford's foresight, providing fresh water for part of Cheshire, a valuable commercial highway and a fabulous leisure facility for those who like life in the slow lane.