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an extension of the tub boat network that served the iron industry of East Shropshire. A separate
proposal of 1792 aimed to provide a lock and weir on the Severn at Shrewsbury that was intended
to supply Shrewsbury with piped river water.

Resurveys of the route were requested by the Ellesmere Canal Committee. One alteration asked for
was at Wynstay Park on the line near Ruabon, where the deep cutting came close to the wall of the
park. Another involved a diversion to avoid crossing the lawn of John Humberston Cawley at
Gwersylte. In effect, a significant change to the route was suggested, which turned the course further
east but then raised it higher. Telford and his team put together the surveys. William Turner was
particularly active in this respect, persuading Jessop to abandon the long tunnel near Ruabon. Turner
called the route to the Dee through Ruabon the “colliery line”, as it was the course that passed
closest to the coal mining district. These plans were agreed by Jessop, but they included a greater
rise from the Dee at Chester to the revised summit level near Pool Mouth, which now became 379
ft, and the fall to Shrewsbury was also increased to 226ft. These alterations were approved by Act
of Parliament (36 George III c96, 14 May 1796). A part of these changes was the provision of a
reservoir at the top of the branch from Pools Mouth to Frywdd. The long tunnel near Ruabon was
also dispensed with.

Such alterations also affected the crossing of the Ceiriog. Instead of a long tunnel at Chirk, and the
crossing upstream at Pont Faen, that route was changed eastward from Froncysyllte to pass through
a short tunnel at Whitehouse (191 yards) and another at Chirk (459 yards). South of Chirk Tunnel,
the canal was widened to form a basin that held boats waiting to cross Chirk Aqueduct, and from
there the route turned to pass Chirk Bank.

Crossing the River Dee at Pontcysyllte required a tall aqueduct with extensive engineering features.
Whilst, at least, four different schemes for this structure were considered during the lengthy
waterway building period, an initial proposal was to make a masonry aqueduct with three arches.
In May 1794, James Varley of Colne, Lancashire, mason, was awarded the contract to build this
aqueduct. Work started early on this contract, as it was the practice to build the lengthy construction
projects first, and this difficult crossing of the River Dee required priority. Construction started on
Pontycysllte Aqueduct as early as 1795, but the design was varied as different schemes for the
linking canal routes were considered and then altered. Even the height above the River Dee became
a variable factor including the ludicrous suggestion of locks down and up at each end. Such
indecision about the form of this aqueduct led to the work being suspended whilst contractors built
Chirk Aqueduct and Chirk Tunnel.

In January 1796, the canal committee agreed to a proposal from John Simpson and William
Hazeldine of Shrewsbury, builders, and William Davies of Chirk, victualler, to build Chirk Aqueduct.

There were many obstacles to the route between Pontcysyllte and the Dee. In addition to issues
with landowners, the mill owners in the Gresford Valley had complaints which required a canal
sub-committee to negotiate with them. This water source (the Dee) was considered important to
the canal, but such was the opposition to take this water by the mill owners that other supplies had
to be considered and evaluated. Finally, a rather innovative solution was found.

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