In the years following the second world war the aquaduct has seen a few changes, these were brought about mainly as a result of the heavy use of the aquaduct since the tourist industry took off in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the years up to the war the aquaduct was mainly used for commercial purposes, a number of factories in the area transported goods by canal. Just a few hundred yards north of Trevor basin it's still possible to make out the loading area used by the Monsanto chemical works. Up until 1962 the aquaduct still had a wooden planked walkway. It was then quite dangerous as some of the planks were broken and missing. If you fell through the planks you fell into the canal as the walkway is built out over the canal and it is only about 3 feet wide.
In the 1980s the aquaduct sprung a leak. This resulted in the total closure of the aquaduct for over a year while the southern top side was taken down and rebuilt. Surprisingly, the closure caused only minor disruption as the canal was able to be kept flowing by pumping water from the river Dee downstream from the aquaduct to the drawbridge at Froncysyllte. The boats moored at Trevor wharf were taken by road to Ellesmere in Shropshire so that holiday makers could still enjoy their boating holidays, a little dissapointing maybe as the highlight of boating in that area is to cross over the aquaduct.
In the late 80s a landslide a few miles upstream from the aquaduct at Plas-yn-Pentre again closed the canal after a 100 meter wide stretch of the canal bank and towpath were washed away into the river below. The canal was closed for about 18 months.
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Despite the height of the aquaduct and it's open railings I can find no record of any fatalities as a result of anyone falling from it.
In the 1980s the body of a young boy was discovered in the water beneath the walkway. He had gone missing from home the day before. No foul play was suspected, it is thought he had merely fallen into the canal and sadly drowned.
A few years later a dog fell through the railings and fell 60 feet onto the ground below, miraculously, he lived because the trees broke his fall.
In the 1970s the Ironwork was painted, and about 10 years ago some of the stone from the piers was removed for inspection purposes as the piers are hollow.
The plaque on the north side at Trevor basin was erected just a few years ago, and the Iron railings at both ends of the aquaduct were added very recently.
