A striking six-foot Lego model of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct has been created as part of a campaign to see the iconic structure added to Lego’s global Ideas collection, potentially making it the first Welsh landmark to feature in the world-famous range.
Supporters of the project are being encouraged to vote online, with 10,000 votes required before Lego will formally review the design. If successful, Pontcysyllte would join a select group of UK locations already immortalised in Lego form, including Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Old Trafford Stadium and Trafalgar Square.
The aqueduct, which carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most recognisable landmarks on the British inland waterways network. Thousands of visitors travel to North Wales each year to experience the structure, which towers 126 feet above the river and stretches for more than 300 metres across the valley.
The Lego model has been commissioned as part of The Bridge that Connects, a year-long community art placemaking project for the World Heritage Site. The initiative is being delivered by Glandŵr Cymru and the Canal & River Trust in Wales, and is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, with support from Wrexham County Borough Council.
Ben Cottam, Regional Director for Wales at Glandŵr Cymru, said the campaign was a natural fit for the area’s heritage.
“Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is one of the true icons of the waterways, and the possibility of it being added into Lego’s global collection – with both the historic links it has to this part of Wales and the worldwide popularity of Lego – is incredibly fitting,” he said.
The campaign also highlights Wrexham’s historic connection to Lego. Between 1962 and 2000, Lego was manufactured in Wrexham, which also served as the distribution centre and home of Lego UK’s model makers — a link that adds further resonance to the project.
The online voting page describes the aqueduct as the highest canal aqueduct in the world, consisting of 18 stone arches supporting a cast-iron trough that carries water five feet deep. Still in daily use by narrowboats, it also features a towpath that allows pedestrians to walk alongside the canal while taking in sweeping views of the Dee Valley.
The Lego design itself measures 45cm long, 9.5cm high and 8cm deep, representing all 19 pillars, the River Dee, the canal channel and a narrowboat making the crossing. Supporters say the model offers both a challenging build and a meaningful way for people around the world to engage with the aqueduct’s engineering and history.
At the time of publication, more than 1,000 people had already voted in support of the design on the Lego Ideas platform, created by user Minibrickarchitecture. Many voters have shared personal connections to the site, describing it as an “amazing structure” and “an important part of our heritage”.
Those wishing to support the campaign can vote online and help raise the profile of one of Britain’s most extraordinary waterways landmarks.
Vote here: https://tinyurl.com/voteaqueduct
