Shropshire Routes to Roots

It is not clear why the canal's title referred to the town of Ellesmere, because that was not the main objective. The most likely explanation seems to be that the first public meeting of the new company was held there on 31 August, 1791, thus giving the new canal its name.

Ellesmere became the hub of operations. Mrs. Price, who owned the Royal Oak hotel in the town, reported to the local papers that the day of the subscription meeting (when shares in the canal were sold) was the best day she ever had. The people who came to buy shares, however, did so in a kind of dot-com fever. Like the internet boom, the canals' financial bubble soon burst:

• Read Mrs. Price's story (Opens in a new window).

Following the preliminary surveys, William Jessop, the country's leading waterways engineer, was appointed as consulting engineer. Shortly afterwards, Thomas Telford was appointed as resident engineer. He conducted operations from Beech House, which is shown on the right. Jessop's contribution to the canal scheme has tended to be understated as he left much of the detail to his very able assistant. However, if anything had gone wrong with the engineering structures such as Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Jessop would have borne the ultimate responsibility.

In the same year the eastward extension to Hurleston Junction was also opened. Meanwhile, work on the Frankton to Shrewsbury line had begun, but it only ever reached Weston Lullingfields, eight miles short of the intended destination. The part from Horseshoe Falls through Llangollen to Trefor was constructed as a navigable feeder in order to provide the water supply.

This signpost is at Frankton Junction. Here a boat could branch northwards towards Llangollen, or on the mainline go west to Llanymynech (the canal never went to Montgomery, despite the modern name) or go east to Hurleston.