CHIRK ACQUEDUCT
SHREWSBURY, ENGLAND
IMAGE NUMBER 1133
The Chirk Aqueduct is a 70-foot (21 m) high and 710-foot (220 m) long navigable aqueduct that carries what is now the Llangollen Canal across the Ceiriog Valley near Chirk, on the England-Wales border, spanning the two countries. The aqueduct was designed by civil engineer Thomas Telford. It was completed in 1801. It has a cast iron trough within which the water is contained. The masonry walls hide the cast iron interior. The aqueduct was briefly the tallest navigable one ever built. It forms part of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site. The aqueduct consists of ten arches, each with a span of 40 feet (12 m). The water level is 65 feet (20 m) above the ground and 70 feet (21 m) above the River Ceiriog. A railway viaduct was built later alongside the aqueduct. It is slightly higher than the aqueduct.
TECHNICAL NOTES
The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/320th of a second and an aperture of F8. Schneider Kreuznach 80 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.