THE character of Llangollen Vale is peculiar. The hills on either side
are steep and lofty, and descend abruptly, though in verdant lawns, to
the channel of the Dee. Although it may be considered to extend a length
of ten or twelve miles, yet such is the extraordinary sinuosity of its
form, that it hardly admits a prospect of half that extent or distance.
The village has partaken largely of the benefits resulting from good
public roads, and has progressed with much rapidity. It is more visited
by tourists than any other part of the principality. The church, a
handsome structure, is dedicated to Saint Collen, and from the cemetery
is seen the much admired view of the old bridge across the Dee, with rich
accompaniments of wood and rock, and the fine back-ground of Dinas Bran.
About four miles from the village the vale expands, and discloses a scene
of inexpressible beauty. Here the noble aqueduct of Pont-y-Cysyllte, on
a scale so vast as to approach the character of a natural creation, is
thrown from mountain to mountain. It extends a length of nine hundred
and eighty feet, and is sustained by twenty piers one hundred and sixteen
feet in height from the bed of the river Dee, the span of the intervening
arches being forty-five feet. At each end are spacious embankments, now
clothed with the richest foliage; and the old bridge across the river has
not only lent its name to the great work, but has made a sacrifice of its
beauty and publicity, being concealed and quite eclipsed by the towering
structure above it. The object of its construction, as well as the
meritorious exertions of its originators, are fully set forth in the
following inscription graven on the central pier:
The Nobility and Gentry of the adjacent counties
having united their efforts with the great commercial
interests of this country, in creating an intercourse and
union between England and Wales, by a navigable
communication of the three rivers, Severn, Dee, and Mersey,
for the mutual benefit of agriculture and trade, caused
the first stone of this Aqueduct of Pont-y-cysyllty to
be laid on the 25th day of July, 1795; when Richard Myddleton,
of Chirk, Esq. M.P. one of the original patrons of the Ellesmere
Canal,
was Lord of the Manor, and in the reign of our sovereign George III.
When the equity of the laws and security of property promoted the
general welfare of the nation; while the arts and sciences flourished
by his patronage, and the conduct of civil life was improved by his
example.
This inscription is doubtless true, and conveys a rational moral; but the
writer forgot that artists and men of science deserve, as a reward for
their great services, at least, the introduction of their names upon such
commemorative tables. Mr. Telford furnished the design, and the contract
for its erection was fulfilled by Wilson.
[Picture: Llangollen vale & aqueduct; Plas Newydd; Denbigh Castle.
London. Published by T. T. & J. Tegg, Cheapside, Oct. 1st 1832]