Llangollen Canal
The Llangollen Canal is a Narrowboat - Canal in England and Wales .
It is arguably the most impressive canal in England and Wales, both from a tourist and industrial point of view. The channel starts at the Hurleston Junction, the channel crossing to the Shropshire Union Canal at Nantwich and ends after 73 km and 21 locks, including the triple Koppelschleuse at Grindley Brook, and two canal bridges and three channel tunnels in the Welsh mountains near Llangollen on the Horseshoe Falls , a weir on the River Dee. Today's name as Llangollen Canal originally had the background to lure more (boat) tourists to the well-known Llangollen, because today's Llangollen Canal is actually only the central section of the Ellesmere Canal , which later became part of the Shropshire Union Canal Network was established.
history
The Ellesmere Canal was to connect the Mersey at Netherpool (today's name Ellesmere Port ) with the River Dee, and from there to the Severn at Shrewsbury via Overton (south of Wrexham) . The plan was to connect the ironworks and coal mines at Bersham between Wrexham and Ruabon and to lead the canal to Llanymynech, where a connection to the planned Montgomeryshire Canal should take place. There were other suggestions that it would be more practical to build a more westerly route from the River Dee to the River Severn, which passed through the industrial areas around Ruabon. Ultimately, however, this route was chosen, which required both two aqueducts and two canal tunnels, namely the Pontcysyllte aqueduct and Chirk aqueduct, as well as the Chirk tunnel and the Whitehouses tunnel .
However, the Ellesmere Canal was never built as planned. Only the central section between Trevor and Weston Lullingfields via Lower Frankton was created. Instead, this central section was continued west of Trevor to Llangollen to Horseshoe Falls . This section also serves as a water supply. In addition, the canal was led eastwards from Frankton Junction via Ellesmere and Whitchurch to Hurlestone Junction near Nantwich, to connect to the then rival Chester Canal .
The operating companies of the Ellesmere and Chester Canal merged in 1813. Another merger in 1845 with the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal Company and the formation of the Shropshire Union Railroad and Canal Company ultimately led to a year later Formation of the Shropshire Union Canal Network.
Decline
Commercial traffic collapsed as early as 1936 after the canal broke at Newtown , Powys, now part of the restored Montgomery Canal. Around 1939 traffic between Hurleston and Llangollen also came to a standstill. The canal, now owned by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway company , was subsequently closed in 1944 on the initiative of that company. Ultimately, the Llangollen Canal only survived because the water taken from the Dee at the Horseshoe Falls and carried over the canal east to the Hurleston Reservoir was the main water supply of the Shropshire Union Canal.
Renaissance
In the late 20th century, recreational boating on the English narrowboat canals became increasingly popular and the Llangollen Canal, with its aqueducts in the Welsh mountains, is a highlight of the entire canal system.
