Shed facing demolition to make way for World Heritage Site education centre

Alec Doyle – Local democracy reporter

An old storage building near the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Unesco World Heritage Site – is to be demolished and replaced with a new education centre.

Wrexham County Borough Council has approved The Canal and River Trust’s plan to demolish the corrugated metal shed and replace it with a new information hub.

The education centre will offer schools and visitors a greater insight into the history, science and cultural significance of the site – one of the grandest structures of the industrial revolution which inspires people to this day. The aqueduct was most recently the inspiration for the final scene in the Wallace and Gromit film Vengence Most Fowl.

Conservation area

Situated next to the car park, most visitors to the Trevor Basin will be familiar with the shed, which sits within the basin’s conservation area.

But it is not considered a significant part of the heritage site. According to a heritage impact assessment submitted to Wrexham planning officers it is believed to have been put together piecemeal with metal fixtures saved from nearby railway buildings as they fell out of use.

A submission by CADW – the Welsh historical environment service – in support of the proposal added: “The building…was constructed between 1949 and 1961 and may contain elements salvaged from former railway buildings. However, it is of low historic significance, albeit that it is located inside the boundaries of the World Heritage Site.”

Corrugated metal

The new education centre will be clad in corrugated metal to reflect the industrial heritage of the site and the building it replaces. Its design will be in keeping with the heritage site and will include a classroom, cloak room and kitchen with storage space for learning materials. It will be built to accommodate classes of up to 30 children.

In their submission the Canal and River Trust says: “The education centre will teach local children about the history of the site, water safety and STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).

“It will encourage creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking. There is currently a lack of dedicated space for educational programmes at the site, limiting the potential for outreach with local schools.

“The existing on-site Visitor Centre is unable to provide this important use, as it is too small and needs to cater for a wider range of visitors.”

Outside the education centre there will be a gravel reading circle and grassed area, with a variety of habitats to encourage local wildlife.