Wallace and Gromit's scarily close shave with famous North Wales landmark


Wallace and Gromit fans have spotted a landmark in the pair’s latest outing that looks suspiciously like a Wrexham icon. One scene from a trailer shows them sailing a narrowboat across an aqueduct high above a valley - before crashing through a protective barrier.

Britain has several surviving aqueducts but, from its height and design. the one in the trailer appears an unmistakable homage to Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. At 126ft, the self-proclaimed “Stream in the Sky” across the Vale of Llangollen is the world’s highest aqueduct and the longest in the UK.

Vengeance Most Fowl, Wallace and Gromit’s first full-length feature film in 19 years, will see the pair face their arch-enemy, the evil penguin Feathers McGraw. It premieres later this year and a newly released trailer gives fans a glimpse of the adventures that lie ahead.

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It will be the first time the hapless inventor and his canine companion go up against their nemesis McGraw since the 1993 Oscar-winning The Wrong Trousers. After the pair become the main suspects for a crime wave of stolen garden goods, chaos ensues: the aqueduct scene likely to become a classic cliff-hanger along the lines The Italian Job and The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

For now, the exact sequence remains under wraps. At first glance, however, the Vengeance Most Fowl aqueduct appears a dead ringer for Pontcysyllte: its iron trough has fast-flowing water and is bordered by a footpath with narrow railings.

But there are differences too. The most obvious one is the railway running beneath the aqueduct, instead of the River Dee. In this respect, it’s more like Edstone Aqueduct in Warwickshire, which also has brick arches like those that appear in the trailer. Pontcysyllte’s arches were made from quartz-rich sandstone blocks.

Despite this, the height and lay-out of Wallace and Gromit’s aqueduct much more closely resembles Thomas Telford’s engineering masterpiece. Similar to the film, it has towpath railings which, at Pontcysyllte, are in 46 sections, each supported on 12 uprights. Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community

Gromit balances precariously on a narrowboat as it crashes through barriers on what fans think looks like Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Gromit balances precariously on a narrowboat as it crashes through barriers on what fans think looks like Pontcysyllte Aqueduct -Credit:Aardman Animations
Gromit clings on for dear life
Gromit clings on for dear life -Credit:Aardman Animations

Narrowboat enthusiasts have also noted that, in Vengeance Most Fowl, the aqueduct appears to have a low iron wall next to the canal – just like Pontcysyllte, where it's barely a foot above water level. For people navigating across, it can be an unnerving experience.

“So that’s how the railings went missing,” said a man on social media who’d seen the trailer. Actually, that’s a myth. As Pontcysyllte's low wall has what appears to be bolt holes, it prompted stories that it originally had railings. When these rusted away, the owners couldn’t find anyone brave enough to replace them (in reality, there never were any railings: both sides of the metal trough were made from the same metal plates, all with bolt holes).

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee -Credit:North Wales Tourism
Wallace And Gromit with Norbot the 'smart' gnome in Vengeance Most Fowl. In the UK, the film will first be shown on the BBC on Christmas Day
Wallace And Gromit with Norbot the 'smart' gnome in Vengeance Most Fowl. In the UK, the film will first be shown on the BBC on Christmas Day -Credit:Aardman Animations/BBC/PA

In the trailer, Gromit is seen grimly hanging onto the canal boat as it teeters on the edge. “Should have gone to Specsavers, Gromit,” said one man online. Presumably, he survives his 126ft dice with death.

He must also contend with Wallace’s new “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. No doubt the eccentric, cheese-loving inventor has plenty of close shaves too. “Bet Wallace gets through a lot of brown plasticine,” was one comment on Facebook.

Vengeance Most Fowl is the pair’s second feature-length film after The Curse of the Were-Rabbit in 2005. The 70-minute film will debut at the AFI Fest in Hollywood, LA, on October 27. It will be on the BBC on December 25 before becoming available on Netflix on January 3, 2025. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

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