Chirk Tunnel

Chirk Tunnel

Chirk tunnel viewed from Chirk aqueduct.
Overview
Coordinates	52°55′53.13″N 3°3′53.9″W / 52.9314250°N 3.064972°W / 52.9314250; -3.064972
OS grid reference	SJ284376
Status	Open
Waterway	Llangollen Canal
Start	52°55′46.93″N 3°3′46.73″W / 52.9297028°N 3.0629806°W / 52.9297028; -3.0629806
End	52°55′57.5″N 3°4′0.33″W / 52.932639°N 3.0667583°W / 52.932639; -3.0667583
Operation
Constructed	1794–1802
Owner	Canal & River Trust
Technical
Design engineer	William Jessop Thomas Telford
Length	421 m (1,381 ft)
Towpath	Yes
Boat-passable	No

Chirk Tunnel is a canal tunnel near Chirk, Wales. It lies on the Llangollen Canal, immediately northwards of the Chirk Aqueduct. It is 421 metres (460 yd) long and has a complete towpath inside.

The tunnel is designed for a single standard narrowboat, so passing is not possible. The tunnel is straight enough to be able to see if a boat is already inside the tunnel, and boats are required to show a light. Northbound boats must maintain power and momentum in order to push through, due to the shallow, narrow nature of the canal in the tunnel (such that water has little space to pass around the displacement of the boat), and the relatively fast 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h) southbound current of the canal. The tunnel, the tunnel portals and the canal basin are collectively a Grade II* listed structure.^[1]