Top 10 engineering marv 0 engineering marvels.

Civil Engineering: REVEALED: THE WONDERS OF

NORTH WALES
Davies, Rob

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RESUMEN (ABSTRACT)
5) Menai Bridge and Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait to Anglesey: Among the greatest triumphs of
engineering in North Wales, without which Holyhead would be little more than a humble fishing harbour, were the
great bridges - Menai Bridge and Britannia. Menai Bridge is one of [Thomas Telford]'s finest works, begun in 1819,
and the longest span suspension bridge in the world when it was built. Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge over
the Strait was the second and longest tubular bridge when it opened in 1850, built to carry the railway line linking
Chester to Holyhead. The huge monumental lions guarding either end of it are no longer easy to see since a fire in
1970 destroyed the original bridge. This did, at least, allow for a modern structure incorporating a road and a railway
- relieving traffic on the Menai Bridge.
4) Conwy's bridges: Three historic bridges over the estuary to Conwy: the modern steel arch bridge, Thomas
Telford's suspension bridge and Robert Stephenson's tubular bridge.
2) The Ffestiniog Railway Line/Snowdon Mountain Railway: Robert Stephenson's ingenuity was often called upon
for major construction projects in North Wales, including the Ffestiniog Railway, a narrow-gauge line designed by
James Spooner and his two sons and opened in 1836 to bring slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog quarries to the harbour
at Porthmadog. "Upgoing trains were drawn by horses for most of its length, except on inclined planes which were
redesigned by Robert Stephenson with waterwheels to provide the power," writes [Keith Thomas].

TEXTO COMPLETO
IT is easy to take our civil engineering heritage for granted - yet North Wales would be a very different and
inhospitable place without the bridges, viaducts, aqueducts and tunnels on which we depend. Leading civil engineer
Keith Thomas has now published a book showcasing the contribution civil engineers have made to Wales over the
last three centuries, detailing the structures they have left behind.
With a little help from his work, here are my top 10 favourites in North Wales: 10) Llandudno Pier: The most
attractive and ornate of the Welsh seaside piers, extending 1,234ft from the headland, was extended back to the
promenade later with a 45 degree bend to a total length of 2,295ft.
A pavilion added in 1884 burnt down in 1994. Piers, points out Keith, were a mostly Victorian phenomenon
associated with the health benefits of "taking the air" at the seaside over the sea itself when the tide was in.
Piers were built at Aberystwyth in 1865, Llandudno in 1877, Bangor in 1896 and Colwyn Bay in 1900 plus two now
gone at Rhos on Sea, 1869, and Rhyl 1867.
9) Barmouth viaduct: A rare surviving example of a timber viaduct.
Crossing the Mawddach estuary south of Barmouth, it carries the Dyfi Junction-to-Pwllheli single track line and a
footway across the shifting sands of the estuary.
These overlie about 7ft of gravel above thick peat with steep shelving rock only at the northern end where there are
two fixed spans.
8) Chirk Aqueduct: Somewhat overshadowed by Pontcysyllte but also in itself a major canal work is the Chirk
Aqueduct which carries the Llangollen Branch of the Ellesmere Canal some 70ft above the valley of the River

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Ceiriog.
7) Pontcysyllte Aqueduct: Among Thomas Telford's greatest triumphs is his Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, now a World
Heritage Site, which carries the Llangollen branch of the Ellesmere Canal over the River Dee two miles west of
Ruabon.
Work began in 1795 and was completed in 1805. The project attracted great admiration throughout the country, with
Sir Walter Scott describing it as the greatest work of art he had ever seen.
6) Llangollen canal: The Shropshire Union Canal's Llangollen branch is an important early canal.
Thomas Telford, then aged 36 and county surveyor for Shropshire was appointed sole agent, architect and
engineer. It was meant to be part of the main line linking Chester to Shrewsbury, but the Ellesmere Canal petered
out south of Frankton.
By the time the decision had been made to change the originally projected north-south route of the Ellesmere canal
to a more easterly route, progress had been made up the Dee Valley towards Llangollen, including the building of
the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct to take the canal across the river at a high level.
5) Menai Bridge and Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait to Anglesey: Among the greatest triumphs of
engineering in North Wales, without which Holyhead would be little more than a humble fishing harbour, were the
great bridges - Menai Bridge and Britannia. Menai Bridge is one of Thomas Telford's finest works, begun in 1819,
and the longest span suspension bridge in the world when it was built. Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge over
the Strait was the second and longest tubular bridge when it opened in 1850, built to carry the railway line linking
Chester to Holyhead. The huge monumental lions guarding either end of it are no longer easy to see since a fire in
1970 destroyed the original bridge. This did, at least, allow for a modern structure incorporating a road and a railway
- relieving traffic on the Menai Bridge.
4) Conwy's bridges: Three historic bridges over the estuary to Conwy: the modern steel arch bridge, Thomas
Telford's suspension bridge and Robert Stephenson's tubular bridge.
Telford's suspension bridge was used until 1958 before the new bridge was built alongside it - and was saved from
demolition following a public outcry and taken over by the National Trust.
It is Telford's most successful "gothic" suspension bridge, its towers linked by castellated walls.
3) Dinorwig pumped storage scheme, Snowdonia: Easy to forget, because of the skilful landscaping, are the hydro-
electric power stations in the heart of Snowdonia. Yet they are an engineering marvel.
On the opposite side of Llyn Peris from the lower terminus of the Snowdon Mountain Railway in Llanberis is the site
of the largest pumped storage station in Europe and the third largest in the world.
Pumped storage is in effect a means of storing energy.
Electricity generated from base-load power stations at periods of low demand is used to pump water from the lower
reservoir to the other at higher level.
At periods of peak demand, water is released from the upper reservoir, passing through turbines which drive electric
generators feeding the national grid.
2) The Ffestiniog Railway Line/Snowdon Mountain Railway: Robert Stephenson's ingenuity was often called upon
for major construction projects in North Wales, including the Ffestiniog Railway, a narrow-gauge line designed by
James Spooner and his two sons and opened in 1836 to bring slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog quarries to the harbour
at Porthmadog. "Upgoing trains were drawn by horses for most of its length, except on inclined planes which were
redesigned by Robert Stephenson with waterwheels to provide the power," writes Keith Thomas.
1) The Cob, Porthmadog: The Cob was a major land reclamation project in the early 19th century without which
modern-day Porthmadog would not exist.
The construction of the embankment was sponsored by William Alexander Maddocks, MP for Boston and a local
landowner, to reclaim 7,000 acres of land from the tidal waters of Afon Glaslyn before the river enters Tremadog
Bay.
The 1,400-yard long rock-fill embankment - 90ft wide at its base, 18ft wide at the top and 21ft high - was built on
rush matting between a hilly peninsula called Penrhyn-isaf at the eastern end and the island of Ynys Towyn at its

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western end where the harbour now is.
It deflects the Afon Glaslyn, scouring out what became the harbour and now carries the A487 trunk road.
. Civil Engineering Heritage: Wales is published by Phillimore &Co.
priced pounds 18.99 and can be ordered on 01264 409200

DETALLES

Personas: Thomas, Keith; Telford, Thomas; Stephenson, Robert

Título: Top 10 engineering marv 0 engineering marvels. Civil Engineering: REVEALED:

THE WONDERS OF NORTH WALES

Autor: Davies, Rob

Título de publicación: Daily Post; Liverpool (UK)

Primera página: 20

Año de publicación: 2010

Fecha de publicación: Oct 27, 2010

Sección: News

Editorial: MGN Ltd.

Lugar de publicación: Liverpool (UK)

País de publicación: United Kingdom, Liverpool (UK)

Materia de publicación: General Interest Periodicals--Great Britain

Tipo de fuente: Periódicos

Idioma de la publicación: English

Tipo de documento: News

ID del documento de 760031299

ProQuest:

URL del documento: https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/top-10-engineering-marv-0-marvels-

civil/docview/760031299/se-2?accountid=45660

Copyright: (Copyright 2010 Liverpool Daily Post and Echo Ltd.)

Última actualización: 2011-08-29

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