Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Canal: Nomination as a World Heritage Site

An icon of the world’s first Industrial Revolution, the ‘sky-borne’ waterway over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct remained the world’s highest canal aqueduct for two hundred years. Built in north-east Wales between 1795 and 1808, the innovative Pontcysyllte and Chirk Aqueducts were built on eleven miles of heavily engineered waterway that formed the first Heroic Canal of the great age of waterways construction. It was the greatest work of two of the outstanding figures in the history of civil engineering: Thomas Telford and William Jessop. The international importance is assessed, the route described in detail and conservation work discussed in this profusely illustrated and authoritative volume written to justify the inscription of this globally important series of monuments on the World Heritage List. Published by the Royal Commission and Wrexham County Borough Council with funding from Cadw, on behalf of the World heritage Site Steering Group which is also co-led by British Waterways.

Contents

Executive Summary

Section 1 – Identification of the Property
1.a – State Party and Country
1.b – Region
1.c – Name of the Property
1.d – Geographical co-ordinates to the nearest second
1.e – Maps and plans showing boundaries of the Property
1.f – Area of the Property

Section 2 – Description
2.a – Description of the Property
2.b – History and development

Section 3 – Justification for Inscription
3.a – Criteria under which inspection is proposed and justification
3.b – Proposed statement of Outstanding Universal Value
3.c – Comparative analysis
3.d – Authenticity and integrity

Section 4 – State of Conservation and factors affecting the Property
4.a – Present state of conservation
4.b – Factors affecting the Property

Section 5 – Protection and Management of the Property
5.a – Ownership
5.b – Protective designations
5.c – Means of implementing protective measures
5.d – Existing plans related to municipality and region in which the proposed Property is located
5.e – Property Management Plan
5.f – Sources and levels of finance
5.g – Sources of expertise and training in conservation and management techniques
5.h – Visitor facilities and statistics
5.i – Policies and programmes related to the presentation and promotion of the Property
5.j – Staffing levels (professional, technical, maintenance)

Section 6 – Monitoring
6.a – Key Indicators for measuring state of conservation
6.b – Administrative arrangements for monitoring the Property
6.c – Results of previous reporting exercises

Section 7 – Documentation
7.a – Photographs, slides, image inventory and authorisation table and other audiovisual materials
7.b – Texts relating to protective designations, copies of property management plans or documented management systems and extracts of other plans relevant to the Property
7.c – Form and date of most recent records or inventory of the Property
7.d – Address where inventory, records and archives are held
7.e – Bibliography

Section 8 – Contact Information
8.a – Preparer
8.b – Official local institution/agency
8.c – Other local institutions
8.d – Official web address

Section 9 – Signature on behalf of the State Party

Section 10 – Acknowledgements