THE WORLD-FAMOUS Pontcysyllte Aqueduct UNESCO World Heritage Site was celebrated at a festival of art, performance and culture.
The site, which featured in the Christmas release of the latest Wallace & Gromit film, Vengeance Most Fowl, was the focus of a special event which formed part a year-long community art placemaking project, the Bridge that Connects, that has been exploring the vibrant cultural heritage of Trevor, Froncysyllte, Cefn Mawr and Chirk.
Mark Evans, regional director for the Canal & River Trust (Glandŵr Cymru), said: “This was a marvellous way to celebrate the communities that are located within the World Heritage Site through the power of art and storytelling.
“Throughout the project, the Bridge that Connects has been exploring people’s stories and the history of these communities. It has given the people a voice to highlight that there’s so much more to this incredible World Heritage Site beyond the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, and the role all these communities play every day for a special part of Wales that attracts visitors all year round from across the world. We’re proud to be the charity that cares for such a rich and varied part of our cultural heritage.”
The Bridge that Connects is being delivered by Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales, and has shared hidden stories, places and vibrant community voices with residents across Wrexham through art, storytelling, a unique project newspaper and film. The project has been funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with Wrexham County Borough Council.
The culmination event, held in November, for the project’s first year saw Chirk, Froncysyllte and Trevor host outdoor artworks, photography, film screenings, pop-up exhibitions and a performance of ‘The greatest love story Wrexham never told’ by Wrexham-based theatre group Dirty Protest. The Seren Fach trip boat took visitors across Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, while there was a craft fayre in Chirk and a Christmas fair at St Mary’s Hall.
Trevor Basin and Froncysyllte hosted the first floating market on the Llangollen Canal with local traders selling arts and crafts and unique gifts, including delicious food and drink onboard The Little Narrowboat Kitchen. Cefn Mawr hosted outdoor art around the village and the Cefn Mawr Community Museum opened its doors to give people the chance to discover more about the history of the World Heritage Site.
George Edwards Hall and the Ebeneezer Gallery welcomed poetry recitals, artists, family workshops and exhibitions including a very special 20ft textile work created by Chantelle Purcell titled Spiritual Currencies.
The week prior to the event, the work made a spiritual crossing across the iconic Pontcysyllte Aqueduct at dawn, first laid on top of the Vale of Llangollen Canal Boat journeying for three hours along the Llangollen Canal and then on foot, to take the work to Trevor Basin, marking the key themes of crossing, passage, connection and language. The resulting epic photographs were taken by filmmaker Leon Bowen and accompany a short film that was screened on Saturday in the Trevor Basin Visitor Centre and the George Edwards Hall in Cefn Mawr on Sunday, featuring performative dance by the talented Wales-based artist Jodi Ann Nicholson.
Claire Farrell, The Bridge that Connects project director, said: “We are delighted that people came out to visit and discover more about what it is that makes these communities so special.
“Cultural programmes like these are so valuable in allowing the space and time to engage with and understand what makes these communities so special, and what matters to them. The heritage in these 11 miles and surrounding areas within and outside of the border makes this whole area an awe-inspiring destination.“The project has affirmed that heritage exceeds architecture and monuments, this is half of the story. Working with artists and intergenerational communities, including schools this year to explore heritage and identity along the waterways in this special rural and world-renowned landscape has been very inspiring. The stories and artistic responses that have unfolded so quickly working with so many strong, progressive and creative communities in addition to the abundance of young talent here is very exciting – the possibilities seem limitless.”
