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Cover Image: Esk or ‘Metal’ Bridge (1822-1916) on the Glasgow to Carlisle Road [10th Reportof Commissioners for Repair of Roads and Bridges in Scotland. House of Commons, 25 March 1824]

Collected papers from a commemorativeconference held on 2 July 2007

The 250th Anniversary of thebirth of Thomas Telford

Theoyal ocietyR S

of Edinburgh

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The 250th Anniversary of the birth of Thomas Telford: 2 July 2007Conference organiser: Mr Duncan Welsh

© The Royal Society of Edinburgh: July 2007

ISBN: 978 0 902198 40 1

Requests to reproduce all or part of this document, larger print versions or more copies, should besubmitted to:Stuart Brown

The Royal Society of Edinburgh22-26 George Street

EdinburghEH2 2PQ

e-mail: reports@royalsoced.org.ukTel: 0044 (0)131 240 5000

Minicom: 0044 (0)131 240 5009

www.royalsoced.org.uk

Opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily represent the views of The Royal Society ofEdinburgh, nor its Fellows.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements ................................................................................. 2

Preface....................... ..................................................................................4

Editorial.........................................................................................................5

Programme ..............................................................................................6

Speakers’ Papers..........................................................................................8

Appendix One: Biographies ...................................................................51

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The Royal Society of Edinburgh

wish to acknowledge the support of

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and thank the Organising Committee:

Mr Bob KibbleMoray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh

Mr David LockwoodDumfries and Galloway Council

Professor John Mavor FRSE FREng (chairman)Vice-President, The Royal Society of Edinburgh

Mr Graeme MunroFormer Director and CEO, Historic Scotland

Professor Roland Paxton FRSEHeriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

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Preface

Thomas Telford FRS FRSE (1757-1834)

Thomas Telford was a pioneering civil engineer, whose enormous legacy of roads, bridges, canals andharbours, has stood the test of time and is still in widespread use by the travelling public today. Born theson of a shepherd in Eskdale, Dumfriesshire, in 1757 and honoured by being buried in WestminsterAbbey in 1834, he led a productive life constructing impressive structures across Britain – from theCaledonian Canal in Scotland to the Menai Suspension Bridge in Wales – to projects further afield, inSweden, Poland, Panama, Canada and India. Telford was a key figure in the establishment of theInstitution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in 1818, he became its first President in 1820.

In recognition of his prolific genius, Telford became a Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) in1803, having been nominated by three Fellows – Professors John Playfair and Dugald Stewart, and Dr.James Gregory – all associated with the Scottish Enlightenment, and the founding of the Society in1783 for the “advancement of learning and useful knowledge”. They would have been truly impressedwith his ability to turn then unimaginable feats of engineering into awe-inspiring realities, through hisvision and practical skills.

The RSE decided to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of one of its most famous Fellows in aConference, having broad appeal to experts and the public alike, and devoted to his achievements.This booklet contains summaries of the papers read by the speakers at this celebratory event, and is akeepsake for the delegates.

A small group, under my direction, helped to plan the Conference – within the context of UK-wideTelford celebrations, coordinated by Michael Chrimes, Head of Knowledge Transfer at the ICE – oncethe Meetings Committee of the RSE, chaired by Professor David Ingram, had given the go-ahead. Thetechnical programme was under the direction of Professor Roland Paxton, FRSE, FICE, HonoraryProfessor at the School of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University, and Vice-Chairman of theICE’s Panel for Historical Engineering Works. Others who contributed to my organising group included:Professor Quentin Leiper, then Senior Vice president of the ICE; Graeme Munro, Former Director andCEO, Historic Scotland; Alan Muirden, RCAHMS; Michael Chrimes, ICE; Nat Edwards, Education &Interpretive Services Manager, National Library of Scotland; David Lockwood, Museums Manager,Dumfries & Galloway Council; and, Lia Brennan, former Events Officer at the RSE.

Professor John Mavor FRSE FREng

Vice-President, RSE (Physical & Engineering Sciences)

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In drawing up this conference programme, hopefully to attract the informed general public, theemphasis has been not only to promote and add to knowledge of Telford’s immense achievement fromrecent research, both nationally and internationally, but also to review its present-day relevance andsignificance, all within the incredibly tight limitations of a one-day event.

The first session is almost entirely on the theme of identifying and managing Telford’s thriving canallegacy in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Canada.

The second session commences with a overview of the work of the Royal Commission of the Ancientand Historical Monuments of Scotland [RCAHMS], Scotland’s premier body for recording the historicbuilt environment in Scotland. The Commission has cooperated with the Institution of Civil Engineers’Panel for Historical Engineering Works [PHEW], on the recording of such Telford works as landreclamation, canals, roads, bridges, harbours, and water supply. This overview is complemented bypresentations on Telford’s harbour work and Highland churches.

In the third session the theme is more general, commencing with an American perspective on Telford’sbridge work and its influence, and continuing with a review of his London to Holyhead Road, theequivalent of a modern motorway, which fundamentally influenced road construction for 1½centuries. This session concludes with an overview of Telford’s ubiquitous Scottish road and bridgework, including his largest Highland bridge at Dunkeld.

The final session outlines Telford’s iron bridge mastery in extending bridge spans by means of astandard, light-weight cast iron arch, and the achievement of landmark structures at PontcysyllteAqueduct on the Llangollen Canal and the world’s first great suspension bridge at Menai Straits whichincreased bridge spans some six-fold.

Menai Bridge established the suspension bridge as the means of achieving the longest spans. This isexemplified today by the world’s longest span suspension bridge at Akashi Straits, the subject of theclosing keynote lecture from Japan.

The Society is greatly indebted to the speakers, all leading authorities on their subjects, for coming, fortheir outstanding contributions and for providing, instead of the usual abstracts, these so much moreacceptable mini-versions of their lectures. Also for making them available in time for publication at theconference.

I should also like to acknowledge the invaluable support in implementing the programme from ourchairman Professor Mavor, the Society’s supporting staff, not least Duncan Welsh in preparing thispublication, and our eminent chairmen from the Institution of Civil Engineers and the American Societyof Civil Engineers.

Professor Roland Paxton FRSEHonorary Professor, Department of Civil & Offshore Engineering, Heriot-Watt UniversityVice-Chairman, ICE Panel for Historical Engineering Works

Editorial

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CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

08.45 Registration and Coffee

09.05 Opening Remarks and Introduction of the PresidentProfessor John Mavor FRSE FREng, Vice-President, Royal Society of Edinburgh

09.10 RSE WelcomeSir Michael Atiyah OM FRS HonFREng HonFMedSci HonFRSE HonFFA PRSE

THEME 1: CANALS

Chairperson: Professor Quentin J LeiperPresident, Institution of Civil Engineers

09.20 Refurbishing Telford’s Legacy on the Caledonian and Crinan CanalsGeorge BallingerHead of Engineering - Technical, British Waterways

09.45 Preservation of Pont Cysyllte Aqueduct - Supreme Structural Achievementof the Canal AgeMark Duquemin, Asset and Programme Manager, British Waterways,Wales and Border Counties

10.10 Von Platen and Telford’s Gotha Canal, Sweden, 175 Years OnClaes-Göran ÖsterlundDirector, AB Göta Kanalbolag

10.35 Telford’s Canadian WorkAlistair MacKenziePast-President, The Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

11.00 Tea and Coffee

THEME 2: GENERAL AND HARBOURS

Chairperson: Drew HillChairman, Institution of Civil Engineers East of Scotland Region

11.20 Recording Telford’s Work for the National Monument Record of ScotlandDr Miles OglethorpeRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland

11.45 Telford’s Harbours from Northern Scotland to St Katharine’s Dock, LondonMike ChrimesHead of Knowledge Transfer, Institution of Civil Engineers

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12.10 Telford’s Highland Churches and MansesThe Very Rev Allan Maclean of Dochgarroch

12.35 Lunch

THEME 3: GENERAL AND ROADS

Chairperson: Allen BeeneRepresentative of the President, American Society of Civil Engineers

13.40 An American Perspective on TelfordProfessor Henry PetroskiChairman, ASCE History and Heritage Committee,Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University

14.05 Telford’s London to Holyhead RoadRichard TurnerInspector of Ancient Monuments, CADW

14.30 Dunkeld Bridge and Telford’s Highland Road-MakingChristopher R FordRetired Consulting Engineer

14.55 Tea and Coffee

THEME 4: BRIDGES

Chairperson: Alan G SimpsonChairman, Institution of Civil Engineers, Glasgow and West of Scotland Region

15.20 Telford’s Iron Bridge MasteryProfessor Roland Paxton FRSESchool of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

15.45 The World’s Longest Span Suspension Bridge at Akashi Straits, JapanProfessor Hiroshi IsohataDept of Civil Engineering, College of Industrial Technology, Nihon University, Japan

16.20 Panel Discussion

16.45 Close

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Refurbishing Telford’s Legacy on the Caledonian and Crinan CanalsGeorge BallingerHead of Engineering - Technical, British Waterways

Introduction

The creation of the Caledonian Canal was the equivalent in the art world of the painting of the MonaLisa. Twenty nine locks gracefully ascend and descend the rugged terrain throughScotland’s Great Glen – in itself a magnificent construction of Mother Nature.

Built for military purposes it was a government funded job creation project which has become aneconomic success story – contributing in excess of £15m/annum to the local Highland economy.

Telford’s task was to create a waterway from Fort William to Inverness using locks the scale of whichwould dwarf anything previously built, in an area governed by a clan system where local feuds werethe order of the day and where construction skills were in short supply.

That it was built at all is nothing short of a miracle. That it has survived for nearly two hundred yearsis a tribute to Telford and our ancestors.

The Modern Canal

You might think the canal would have been radically altered during its life but apart from the bridges,little has changed over the years.

However, by the 1960’s the canal was slowly dying of neglect. It had never really carried the expectedvolume of trade and the original construction was deteriorating rapidly with collapses becoming aregular occurrence. Emergency repairs and unplanned stoppages disrupted traffic and the apparentneglect failed to enhance its reputation as a tourist attraction. No funds were available to rectify theproblems and no technique had been developed to effectively and economically repair the crumblingmasonry structures. Manpower was also being cut back with mechanised steel gates installed in the1970’s chiefly as a labour saving exercise.

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The photographs of the collapse at Corpach are the most dramatic but further collapses at Laggan andKytra emphasised the need for either abandonment or an affordable solution.

Some monies were found in the 1980’s to undertake repairs to Kytra and Cullochy but these workswere expensive and repairing the staircases at Banavie and Fort Augustus would simply be unaffordableusing these techniques. The canal would also have had to be closed for several years and the loss ofbusiness would be the death knell for the whole canal corridor.

The Solution

The construction of the walls and a failure to maintain them over the years was the main reason for thedeterioration in the structures. The following slide shows the effect of the washout of material in thecentre of the 6 ft. thick walls. With large voids in the centre of the walls they could no longer supportthemselves and bulges would form as a prelude to catastrophic collapse. At the quoins the constantmovement of the gates and the loss of mortar had led to stones moving and cracking in these areas.The timber cills had long since rotted making operation of the locks haphazard and time consuming.There were so many leaks that water cascaded down in to adjacent properties and down nearbyroads.

Corpach Collapse 1964

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Washout of Centre of Wall Inducing Collapse

British Waterways Scotland worked with WT Specialist Grouting and RJ McLeod (Contractor) todevelop a repair technique which is illustrated in the accompanying slide. The grouting techniquesrequired specific types of grout injected under pressure in to the centre of the wall structure. This wastrialled in 1995 on a 6m wide section of wall at Fort Augustus before perfecting the technique andusing the method on two chambers the following year. This work led to £20m worth of funding beingsecured to restore the whole canal.

The cills were rebuilt in concrete and the quoins were rebuilt in stone – much of it reclaimed. The detailof the quoin was altered to include a cast iron insert to protect the stone. This was a detail used bySmeaton on the Forth & Clyde Canal and this “old technology” was adapted for this modernrefurbishment.

The old gates had buoyancy tanks to help them “float” but these tanks had deteriorated over time tothe point where they were actually full of water and were overloading the wall at the top. New gateswere built and these were filled with polystyrene to make sure that they would retain their buoyancy.

The repair technique was so successful that it was used in the refurbishment of other structures onthe canal such as Moy Bridge (an original Telford bridge) and Loy Sluices.

Cross Section Showing Repair Technique

Loy Sluices Restored

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The walls were all surveyed to determine the extent of replacement stonework that was required andthe type and colour were closely matched to the original specification. The works were all undertakenin a planned sequence of winter closures over a ten year period and involved close liaison andcommunication with the hugely supportive Historic Scotland. This meant that local business still hadthe summertime tourist trade but also had a winter construction trade to boost the economy of thearea.

Innovation, ingenuity and teamwork have been the hallmarks of this project and Thomas Telford wouldhave had to rely on those attributes to build his original masterpiece and it is, therefore, right and fittingthat those traditions have carried on into this magnificent restoration.

To stand on the arched stonework of the lock floors with their moss filled joints, or look up the dewateredNeptune’s Staircase is a privilege and helps one fully appreciate not just the scale and breathtakingmagnificence of these structures but the inspirational vision of Thomas Telford who not only plannedsuch an undertaking but went on to construct it in such an artistic and graceful manner.

Banavie, View from bridge

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Telford’s Harbours from Northern Scotland to St Katharine’s Dock,London

Michael ChrimesHead of Knowledge Transfer, Institution of Civil Engineers

Telford is generally remembered, in terms of his engineering achievements as a builder of roads andbridges. This is understandable given the mileage of roads he surveyed, and the iconic bridges hedesigned. He was, however, active in all branches of the profession, not least in docks and harbours.His first position of real responsibility, as clerk of works on the Commissioner’s House at PortsmouthDockyard, provided him with the opportunity to observe work there.

Telford’s involvement with the British Fisheries Society followed soon after, from 1790. This resulted inhis surveying the coast of Scotland for suitable harbour sites, and an early opportunity to demonstratehis interest in innovative use of materials when he advised on the suitability of various cements forharbour works, specifically at Stein (Skye) reporting on the pozzolanic qualities of Parker’s cement –one of the first ‘artificial’ or ‘Roman’ cements to come on the market as a rival to natural pozzolan ortrass. The Fisheries Society work led directly to Telford’s reports on the improvement ofcommunications in the Highlands more generally as a means of economic revitalisation. He stronglyadvocated the development of Wick and Peterhead as well as the Caledonian Canal. Generally,however, the consequent harbour works were modest – landing piers and the like.

Certainly Telford’s early practical experience does not stand comparison with that of his mentor WilliamJessop – Engineer for Dublin, Bristol and West India Docks – or his great rival John Rennie, engineer forLondon Docks, and the great naval dockyard improvements of the Napoleonic period. This said, Telford’swork with Jessop on the Caledonian Canal involved the design of the great sea-locks at Corpach andClachnacarry. Work around the coast of Scotland would have provided Telford with plenty ofopportunity to observe the combined forces of tide, wave and wind. By the mid-1820s when he wasappointed Engineer to the St Katharine Docks, Telford’s had designed schemes for harbours including

Fig. 1. Ardrossan Harbour Pier

Fig. 2. Banff Harbour in background and Smeaton’s Banff Bridge (1779)

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Ardrossan (1805-10) [Fig. 1], Banff (1814-19) [Fig. 2], and Peterhead (1816-23) [Fig. 3], and on a largerscale at Dundee (1814-34) and Aberdeen (1801-15 & 1829-34) [Fig. 4].

At Aberdeen the key North Pier was extended from 1811-16 and the first South Breakwater and partof Waterloo Quay constructed, all to Telford’s design. At the North Pier he adopted inclined masonrycourses using two cranes moving on rails, then state-of-the-art practice [Fig. 5]. The same techniquewas adopted afterwards at Peterhead. At both harbours Telford’s highly competent resident engineerwas John Gibb. At Aberdeen extensive further work was carried out from 1829 costing more than£160,000, but Telford’s plans, in particular the floating harbour, were not finalised and fullyimplemented until after his death.

Fig. 3. Peterhead Harbour – distant view from near Buchan Ness Lighthouse c.1840

Fig. 4. Aberdeen Harbour c. 1840 – North Pier in middle ground

Fig. 5. Aberdeen Harbour – North Pier under construction (Telford’s Life 1838, pl. 37)

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Dundee was an outstanding piece of work, as Robert Southey noted in 1819: “Before breakfast I wentwith Mr Telford to the harbour, to look at his works, which are of great magnitude and importance, ahuge floating dock and the finest graving dock I ever saw.” More than £150,000 was spent in harbourimprovements at Dundee, [Fig. 6] Only the pier lighthouse [Fig. 7] and part of the Ferry harbour servingas the dock for ‘Discovery’ now survive.

Telford also reported on work at Folkestone, King’s Lynn, Bude, and Glasgow, and succeeded Rennie atFraserburgh (1808), Holyhead, Howth and Dublin (1821). Overseas he advised on facilities at Sydney,Cape Breton Island, Causeways in Bombay, and proposals for a Darien or Panama ship canal, as well asGotha. By 1824 he was well experienced both as a manager of large projects, and with maritimeworks.

The labour-intensive construction of the St Katharine Docks (1826-1830) [Fig. 8] marks the end of thefirst great phase of dock construction in the Port of London, which had begun in February 1800 withthe commencement of the excavations for West India Docks, and by 1833 had resulted in the provisionof 250 acres of enclosed water in the Port of London. In terms of water acreage the, St KatharineDocks were a relatively modest scheme, but in terms of engineering challenges construction is ofconsiderable interest. It was also the largest dock scheme designed by Thomas Telford.

Fig. 6. Dundee Harbour c. 1840

Fig. 7. Dundee Harbour – pier lighthouse in 2007 [courtesy of Roland Paxton]

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Fig. 8. St. Katharine’s Docks under construction.

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Preservation of Pont Cysyllte Aqueduct - Supreme StructuralAchievement of the Canal Age

Mark DuqueminAsset and Programme Manager, British Waterways , Wales and Border Counties

Designed by Thomas Telford, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct gets its name from the road bridge over theRiver Dee upstream of the aqueduct; translated it means the bridge that connects the river. The firststone was laid on 25 July 1795 and it was opened 26th November 1805 at a cost of circa £45,000 andthe loss of one life.

Fig. 1. Portrait of Thomas Telford with Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in the background

The aqueduct is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade 1 Listed structure and isalso considered to be a worthy contender for a prospective World Heritage Site.

The aqueduct spans 307m (126ft) on 18 tapered masonry piers and stands at 38.5m (126ft) abovethe surface of the River Dee below. The canal is channelled through a cast iron trough supported by19 arches of 15.8m (43ft) span which spring from masonry corbels on the piers. Each trough spanconsists of 11 segmental pieces bolted together with wrought iron bolts. The trough is 3.6m (11ft 10”)wide by 1.6m (5ft 3”) deep; the towpath structure extends 1.2m (4ft) over the water surface, reducingthe navigable width of the trough. The 18 ashlar sandstone piers taper as they rise, measuring 4m x2.3m (13ft x 7ft 6”) at the top and 6.1m x 3.7m (20ft x 12ft) at the base.

Fig. 2. Plan and West Elevation of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

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Fig. 3. Span 11, West Elevation (Typical Section)

The only major repairs to the aqueduct in its 202 year history are due to settlement and water loss inboth of the abutments. Settlement was a continuing problem in the early years after the constructioncompletion, which led to significant damage to the southern abutment and most southerly pier, 19,and fractures in the cast iron ribs of the arch, bay No 18. Remedial works were undertaken in 1866that involved extending bay No 18 trough into the embankment, the exact same works were under-taken in 1868 to the north abutment; bay No 1.

In 1975 it was discovered that bay No 18 arch ribs were sheared in 2 places, following a detailedinspection it was found that the trough was spanning from the south abutment to pier 19 unsupportedby the arch ribs. Repairs quickly followed which entailed the replacement of the original arch with asteel replica and the installation of tie bars to stop any potential buckling.

The masonry piers have required very little maintenance and repair, which is clear evidence to showthe quality of the stone used and craftsmanship. Pier 18 is the only pier to have suffered from settle-ment in the past.

Major repairs to the towpath structure have taken place over the aqueduct’s history. The originaltimber structure was replaced using wrought iron buckle plates which were subsequently replacedwith trench sheets laid horizontally and at the same time new cast iron standards were fitted.

Fig. 4. Use in 2004, note steel replacement towpath plates (courtesy of Roland Paxton)

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Restoration Works 2003/2004.

A trial refurbishment was carried out on bay 10 of the aqueduct over the winter of 1999/2000 toidentify appropriate refurbishment techniques and materials.

During the trial bolts were removed from the whole structure systematically and replaced withtemporary mild steel bolts, samples of jointing materials were also taken from the base and side wallsof the trough. These materials were analysed to reveal their makeup. The samples revealed thathemp and tar was used to seal the external trough walls, whilst lead wool and tar was used to seal theinternal trough walls. Replica bolts were made to match the existing following chemical analysis.

During the trial refurbishment the cast iron trough surface was both grit blasted and mechanically wirebrushed to prepare the surface for painting. In consultation with CADW it was discovered that theareas of iron that had been grit blasted had developed pin holes, whilst areas that had been preparedby mechanically wire brushing (therefore less destructive) appeared to be in excellent condition.

Mechanical wire brushing and a bitumastic paint system similar to that applied in 1965, which hadprovided excellent protection, were approved by CADW.

The towpath is the only significant part of the structure that hasn’t survived from the original structure.It was eventually agreed with CADW that mild steel buckle plates would be used for the replacementadding to the historical authenticity of the structure.

The parapet was in excellent condition, with only 4 lengths of 2.4m handrail sections replaced. Thiswas due to fracture damage as a result of the original expansion joints being removed and welded upover the history of the aqueduct.

The corbels were generally in good condition, however a small number had been damaged due largelyto freeze thaw action.

Damaged corbels were replaced with matching masonry sourced locally from the original quarry. Themain masonry blocks forming the piers were in excellent condition only requiring very minimal repairs.

The internal trough bolts had suffered extensive corrosion with 12% (508 from 4180) completeassemblies and a further 750 nuts and washers being replaced. A minimal number of external boltswere replaced as they were generally in excellent condition.

The joint integrity was extremely good, with slight leakage evident at the north and south abutments.The joints were reinforced with additional material, and where necessary, joints were raked out andcompletely replaced. Materials used in the original construction were used to preserve the historicalauthenticity of the structure.

Conclusions.

· Not all maintenance work will have been recorded over the years but it appears that very littlemaintenance has been undertaken during the aqueduct’s history.

· The main problem of water ingress into both abutments occurs due to the interface of the troughand abutment, which has caused continual settlement of the abutments.

· The majority of maintenance undertaken has been due to this settlement.· The 2003/2004 restoration revealed that the aqueduct is generally in a good condition.

References.

International Significance of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct: Published by Wrexham County Borough Counciland British Waterways; November 2005.

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Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Conservation Management Plan: Prepared by David Viner, National Service Unit(British Waterways); October 2004.

Fig. 5. Wax impression from Telford’s seal on letter of 1817 (courtesy of Roland Paxton)

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Dunkeld Bridge and Telford’s Highland Road-Making

Christopher R FordRetired Consulting Engineer

Although by 1750 communications in the Lowlands of Scotland were fairly well established, matterswere very different in the Highlands where there were effectively no roads north of the Great Glen.Military roads had been built by General Wade and his successors earlier in the century but they werefor the movement of troops and did not serve the needs of civil commerce. They only linked the variousforts and relied on ferries to cross rivers. By the late 18th century the Government was concerned aboutthe state of the economy in the Highlands and the rate of emigration. They concluded that there wasa need to improve the road system and develop the harbours for the fishing industry. Therefore in 1801they commissioned Telford to report on the means of improving the infrastructure of the country bybuilding roads and bridges and promoting the fisheries of the East and West Coasts. Telford respondedto this with his usual vigour and energy and as a result built some 1200 miles (1900 km) of roads and1,076 bridges between 1801-23. While doing this work he built numerous harbours and theCaledonian Canal.

The roads were to be funded partly by a government grant and partly by the local landowners. Theprocedure was for the local proprietors to make an application for a road through their area and agreeto pay half the cost. Telford would then arrange to have the line surveyed and an estimate preparedfrom which the proprietors would deposit their share before the tenders were invited. In this way theGovernment assured that the roads were justified and the private finance secured.

All the roads and masonry bridges would be built to a standard specification. Based on this contractswere let after competitive tendering by approved contractors. In this Telford laid the foundations ofmodern procurement methods. During construction Telford relied on close supervision by inspectorsthat he had selected and trained himself.

The roads were largely constructed in mountainous countryside where there was frequent stormyweather. Telford paid great attention to the drainage of the roads to prevent them being washed outby floods. They were however constructed primarily for the movement of horses and cattle and not forwheeled vehicles. Therefore, they had only a gravel surface and not one metalled with compactedstones. Telford considered it did not justify the additional capital cost until wheeled vehicles came intouse. It did however mean that substantial maintenance costs was incurred. The final cost was some£400 per mile but maintance was £4.5 per mile per year.

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As well the many smaller masonry bridges the road network involved four crossings of principal rivers,over the Tay at Dunkeld, over the Spey at Craigallechie, over the Beauly and over the Conon nearDingwall of which he considered the Dunkeld Bridge to be of the first importance for the centralHighlands.

The Tay at Dunkeld is approximately 450ft (137m) wide and was served by two ferries, owned by theDuke of Atholl, which were inconvenient and dangerous. Telford identified a site for the bridge justdownstream of the town and estimated the cost as £15,000. He also advised that the Duke of Athollwould be prepared to meet half the cost of the bridge if he could recover this cost by charging tolls. Thiswas agreed and after the necessary Acts were passed, work started in early 1805. However the siteappears to have been moved to line up with the main street of Dunkeld and the size increased byincreasing the spans by ten feet.

Telford set out the objects of a bridge were:-The passage for water under the bridgeThe making of a perfect road over itThe decorations.

Dunkeld Bridge met these criteria.

The bridge has seven spans, one of 90ft, two of 84ft, two of 74 ft and two land spans of 20ft. Telfordconsidered that, to allow for the obstruction of the piers in the river the length between abutmentsshould be greater than the natural breadth of the river channel by twice the width of the piers.Applying this formula to the river width of 450ft the length should be 570ft (173.6m). It is in fact justshort of that at 546ft (166.4m).

Section of the Rhiebuie Road in Glen Shielas it exists today showing what it mighthave looked like in 1820

Shiel Bridge 19.8m (65ft). Built 1817

Detail of Dunkeld Bridge from the Telford Atlas

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Although the riverbed is not rock, the piers are not piled but founded on a raft of larch timber cut fromthe local woods. The arches are segmental rings with 120-degree arc giving a span to rise ratio ofapproximately a third, which appears to have been Telford’s preferred proportion. The span of thearches provides a road profile of 1:24, which is an easy gradient for horse drawn traffic. The voussoirsare the comparatively small stones preferred by Telford, which he had found caused little settlementwhen the falsework was struck. The settlement at Dunkeld was apparently only 3ins (75mm). Inconsidering the theoretical analysis of arches of the time the sprandels should be backfilled with amaterial of varying density increasing substantially towards the springing. At Dunkeld the lower part isbackfilled with rubble masonry and above that are two internal spandrel walls transferring the thrustfrom arch to arch. Telford had been aware of the advantage of such internal walls since they did notapply a horizontal pressure to the outerwalls.

The bridge has more decoration than many of the Highland bridges and the style with half towers,mock castellations cruciform slits and protruding voussoirs exemplifies Telford’s fondness for Gothicarcitechture and may have been influenced by the Duke.

The bridge was opened to the public in October 1808 at a cost of £34,000 of which the governmentcontributed £7,000 leaving the Dukes of Atholl to collect £27,000 from tolls

Water Colour painting showing the construction of the bridge

Dunkeld Bridge

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The World’s Longest Span Suspension Bridge at Akashi Straits, Japan

Professor Hiroshi IsohataDepartment of Civil Engineering, College of Industrial Technology, Nihon University,Japan

Akashi Bridge is the world’s longest suspension bridge with clear span of 1991m, and total length of3,911m. This bridge was open in April 1998 at Akashi Straits near Kobe as one of the bridgescomposing the route connecting between Honshu and Shikoku in western Japan.

The completion of this suspension bridge at the end of the 20th century is an achievement of the worldmodern suspension bridge development which started two centuries ago in North America andEuropean countries including the UK where Menai Bridge had exercised significant influence.

Prelude

Akashi Straits, 4km wide at the narrowest is located at the east of the Inland Sea of Japan. Bridgingover Akashi Straits was just a dream for long time because of severe local conditions such as high tidalvelocity up to 4.5m/sec. and deep sea water from 50m to 110m.

Fundamental surveys had been started in the 1950s, followed by substantial surveys towards theconstruction in 1970 when the Bridge Authority was established. It was December 1985 thatGovernment had formally decided to commence the bridge project.

The location of the bridge was selected at the narrowest in the Straits and the type of the structurewas a 3 span suspension bridge of truss girder with 1990m centre span and 3910m bridge length. Thisproject was most challenging and ambitious because of the clear centre span of 1990m which was550m longer than that of Humber Bridge with 1440m centre span as the longest suspension bridge inthe world at that time. The commencement ceremony was carried out in April, 1986

Construction Foundations.

The towers stand on the foundations based on a 60m deep sandstone sea bed in the straits.The foundations are cylindrical steel armored concrete islands with a diameter of 80m.

Fig.1. General View of AkashiBridge

Fig.2. Akashi Bridge, August 2006

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Steel caissons were fabricated in ship yards as a whole and towed floating by tug boats to thelocations. They were sunk down on the sea bed excavated in advance, into which mass concrete waspoured. Marine construction works were challenging under the conditions of deep sea water, strongtidal flows and busy sea traffic.

Tower

Cables of suspension bridges hang down with parabolic shape from towers to centre. The “Sag Ratio”,sag to span is usually between 1/8.5 to 1/11 and is 1/10 in case of Akashi Bridge. According to 1990mspan and 100m road elevation from the sea level, almost 300m tower height is required. The towersmust be erected vertically with accuracy of 1/10,000 to guarantee the safety and durability against80m/s typhoon wind and 120,000 t cable load.

Cables

Cables are anchored at both sides and supported by towers at the top to transmit the whole bridgeloads to the ground. One strand is composed of 127 of wires with a diameter of 5.23mm and 290strands make a cable with a diameter of 112cm. The world record breaking diameter cable produceda lot of challenging technologies in its erection.

Since cables are the most important part of a suspension bridge, preventing cables from corrosion is ahot issue in maintenance. Conventionally the cables of suspension bridges are pasted for first layer andbanded by wrapping wires and finally painted against water or moisture. It is known through actualexamples that the conventional system is not effective for a long time period. In the case of AkashiBridge, pressured dried air is injected to keep the inside relative humidity below 60%. This is based onmany experiments which show galvanized steel wire corrodes very little in the

Fig. 3. Steel Caisson in floating (Source; JBEC) Towing 80m diameter “tub”

Fig. 4. Construction of Tower (Source; JBEC)Steel blocks were “piling up”

Fig. 6. Girder Erection (Source; JBEC)Truss girders were jetting out

Fig. 5. Cable Erection (Source; JBEC)Spinning wires/strands

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atmosphere of 60% relative humidity. This dehumidification system was developed and installed inAkashi Bridge 5 years after completion.

Girders

Stiffening girders suspended by cables carry the carriageway and also, importantly, provide stabilityagainst wind. There are two types of stiffening girders. Truss girders with high rigidity and enoughopenings against horizontal wind flows as widely practiced in the USA after the Tacoma NarrowsBridge disaster in 1940. The other, a box girder of streamlined cross-section was developed in the UKfor Severn Bridge (1966) and followed others including Humber Bridge (1983). In the case of AkashiBridge, a truss girder was adopted as results of numerous studies.

Great earthquake

It should be specially mentioned that a great earthquake struck Akashi Bridge under construction.When cable erection was progressing in the final stage, after foundations and tower erection, AkashiBridge was struck by an earthquake with magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter Scale in the morning of 17January, 1995. The epicenter was in the straits. Damage due to the earthquake in Kobe City wasserious. The fatalities were 6,434, wounded 43,792, about 250,000 houses were damaged and thetotal cost of the damages was ten trillion yen.

The earthquake forced the south side tower foundation and anchorage to move 1m respectivelysouthwards, which required the clear span to be increased from the 1990m of the original design to1991m. Fortunately there were no structural failures and this occurred because the top of the bothtowers were supported by the cables (Fig.8). If cable erection had not been finished and the towershad stood independently, the bottom part of the towers would have been damaged. Members of thetruss girders under fabrication were quickly changed to conform to “design change order” by nature!

Fig. 8. Akashi Bridge after cable erection(Source; JBEC)Tower tops were supportedby cables when the earthquake struck

Fig. 7. Earthquake disaster in Kobe(source; JSCE)

Fig. 9. Deformations due to earthquake(Source; JBEC)Centre span expanded one meter

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Progressive development

The first half of the 200 year history of the modern suspension bridge started in North America, Britainand France. Development of the iron industry in these countries supplied malleable iron chain andwrought iron wire and enabled the suspension bridge to fulfill its potential as the best solution for thelongest spans.

The second half of the history was crowned by Brooklyn Bridge (1883) using steel wire, followed bymajor development in the USA in the 20th century. Akashi Bridge was completed as an achievementbased on the accumulated skills of two centuries stemming from Menai Bridge by Thomas Telford.

Acknowledgements

This paper is written on behalf of all people who had been involved in Akashi Bridge Project. The authorwish to acknowledge the help received from Mr.Takasi Yamanaka, director of Akashi Bridge Museum,JBEC who supplied useful information to develop this paper. Finally I express sincere thanks to ProfessorRoland Paxton who recommended the author to write this paper for this important conference on the250th Anniversary of the birth of Thomas Telford.

References

1) Honshu-Shikoku Bridges –Steps to the 21stt Century-, Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority, 2001.2) Kakyo Kumikyoku, Akashi Kaikyo Ohashi, JBEC, 2000.3) Roland Paxton, Menai Bridge 1818-26, Evolution of design, pp.84-116, “Thomas Telford,Engineer”, 1980.4) Thomas Telford, Menai Bridge, “Life of Thomas Telford”, pp. 217-229, 566-584, 1838.5) Henry Petroski, Engineers of Dreams, Great bridge builders and the spanning of America, 1996.

Year Span(m) Name1826 176 Menai1855 244 Niagara1883 486 Brooklyn1926 526 Ambasador1931 1067 George Washington1937 1280 Golden Gate1964 1298 Verrazano Narrows1981 1410 Humber1998 1991 Akashi

Fig.10 Development of major suspensionbridges from Menai to Akashi

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Telford’s Canadian Work

Alistair MacKenzieProfessor Emeritus, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science, RyersonUniversity, Toronto

By the 1820’s Thomas Telford’s reputation was such that his opinions on Civil Engineering Projects weresought after internationally. Canada was no exception to this need for knowledge and although Telfordnever set foot in Canada his influence on early Canadian Civil Engineering Works was very significant.

Telford’s influence was felt in three ways. The first was in Projects where he had been directly involvedin providing reports or other advice, especially on proposed canal works. The second was in theapplication of Telford’s methodologies to particular problems. Much of this information was becomingwidely known through publications such as Telford’s “Atlas”. It is, however, in the third way that Telford’sinfluence was most enduring. This was through the continuing work of a number of engineers who hadeither been “apprenticed” to Telford or who had worked extensively with him and learned the greatman’s skills and methods. The two most influential of these were Francis Hall and Nicol Hugh Baird.Some of the work in which Telford was directly involved originated through requests from theseengineers.

Projects in which Telford was directly involved

a) Baie Verte Canal, New Brunswick – This project appears to be the first Telford link with Canada.On March, 24, 1824, the Lt. Governor of New Brunswick, wrote to Telford requesting advice on aproposed Canal between Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Bay of Fundy. Telford recommended FrancisHall as engineer and subsequently analyzed Halls proposals in a report to the Government of NovaScotia in 1826. The canal was never built.

b) Shubenacadie Canal, Nova Scotia: In 1825, Francis Hall produced plans for the proposed canal.Telford reviewed and approved them and appears to have been so impressed with the project that hebecame a shareholder, investing £450 in 20 shares.

c) Welland Canal – in 1828, when William Hamilton Merritt was in London trying to raise money forthe Welland Canal, he submitted plans to Telford for his opinion. He received a reply in which Telfordand Alexander Nimmo expressed their approval. Telford is recorded as subscribing 20 shares for £225and Nimmo 10 shares for £112.10.0

Photo: CSCE ArchivesShubenacadie Canal – restored Lock 3 at Port Wallace

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d) Sydney Harbour, Nova Scotia: In 1833, the General Mining Association was constructing a newcoal-loading wharf in North Sydney. Apparently at the request of John Buddle, who was carrying outthis work for the GMA, Telford was consulted regarding a breakwater to protect this wharf. Telford’sdiary records that he spent 7 full days in 1833 on this work.

Application of Telford’s methodology

References can be found in several Government documents that attest to Telford influence on theengineering of Canadian Road Works. For example, an extract from the Journals of the House ofAssembly of Upper Canada in 1837 reads, in part, “it was proposed to do the work upon the plan of Mr.Telford, a celebrated Civil Engineer, in London, by whom it is recommended as greatly preferable to theplan of Mr. Macadam.”

Work of Telford’s “apprentices”

As noted earlier, two of Telford’s “apprentices” were to make a significant impact on early CanadianCivil Engineering.

a) Hall arrived in Canada in 1823. Telford apparently thought highly of him and in referring to Hall’sinvolvement in the Shubenacadie Canal, wrote “having for several years, previous to his leavingBritain, employed Mr. Hall, very extensively, I have a perfect confidence …..” Hall continued hisassociation with Telford and frequently sought his advice on several projects such as the Welland,Shubenacadie, Baie Verte, Burlington Bay, Desjardins, and St.Peter’s Canals.

b) Baird came to Canada in 1828, with a letter of recommendation from Telford and was quicklyappointed Clerk of Works on the Rideau Canal. In appointing Baird, Lt. Col. John By noted “from thehandsome manner that Mr. Telford speaks of this Gentleman’s abilities, I have no doubt that he willanswer my purpose”. Baird had an extensive career in Canada and was to be involved in manysignificant works, notably, the Chambly and Beauharnois Canals, the Trent-Severn Waterway,harbours at Cobourg and Whitby, and the Presq’ile and Gull Island Lighthouses.

Thus even in the colonies of North America, the influence of the master was clearly felt and Telfordmethodologies provided a firm foundation for subsequent Civil Engineering works as the new countryof Canada developed.

Photo: A.D. MacKenzieAll that remains of the First Welland Canal – Lock 24(Excavated in 1987, then backfilled to preserve the timber walls)

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Telford’s Highland Churches and Manses

The Very Rev Allan Maclean of Dochgarroch

An Act was passed in 1823, amended in 1824, to build churches and manses in the Highlands andIslands of Scotland, in places, with a sufficiently large population, remote from their parish churches.The Commissioners for building Highland Roads and Bridges were given the added task of undertakingthis work. They were required to make the arrangements for choosing sites, and to design and erectbuildings, within the agreed budget of £1500 per site.

Thomas Telford, whose major work in the Highlands and Islands was by this date virtually over, wastheir Chief Surveyor, or Consulting Engineer, and he supervised their work through a network of trustedsurveyors, in particular John Mitchell in Inverness. However, Mitchell died in September 1824 andTelford replaced him with three separate surveyors, each of whom he knew well; Joseph Mitchell[John’s son], William Thomson and James Smith. He asked each to produce plans for a church and amanse, capable of being built within the restraints of the very tight budget. He then chose the mostsuitable and revised the plans and specifications ‘with much care’, so as to produce designs that wereboth economical and suitable for the climate, but also ‘superior’ to the usual building work in the area,so as to avoid ‘future dilapidation’. As is shown elsewhere in his work, Telford proved that a good andeconomic constructional design can bring its own elegance, but the churches and manses have beencriticized for their extreme austerity and their lack of good design and proportion, despite the church’sslight Gothic flourish (see Fig.2, overleaf).

Telford chose the church design of William Thomson of the Crinan Canal. The plan, without doubtdrawn up according to Telford’s brief, was such that it could easily be adapted, by raising the walls sothat galleries could be included, or by dispensing with the aisle, where the population was smaller. Hisrevisions included incorporating all the stairs to the galleries within the structure, so that the buildingwork was complete, whether or not the galleries were by then actually fitted. Fewer door openingswould also eliminate some draughts, and lower the cost. The design of the six windows was altered,and the size was standardized, so that they could be made in a large number off site, but no provisionwas made for ventilation. The belfry was also improved.

The result was a variable plan, that was within the Scottish Presbyterian tradition, centred on thepulpit, and with a long communion table on the main axis of the building. It could incorporate from 250to 312 people on the ground floor, and 492 if all three galleries were built. The intention was that thereshould be no local deviations from the specifications or the ‘standard design’, but in practice, not leastbecause some churches were started before the design was finalized, there is a considerable variety.

Fig. 1. Church and Manse, Steinscholl, Skye

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Fig. 2. Plans and Elevations of Church and Manses [6th Report, Highland Churches, House of Commons, 1831]

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For the Manses, it was recommended that there should be a choice from two designs, depending onthe site, with an alternative internal arrangement in the two storey house. The single storey house was‘usually deemed more suitable to the situation and climate’, but both were considered ‘convenient andperfectly suitable for the residence of a Minister’.

Initially, Telford’s brief to the surveyors was to design a three/four bedroom house, with parlour andkitchen. Smith designed a single storey house with a hip-roof on an H plan, but Mitchell designed avery meagre two storey building. Apart from enlarging the byre, Telford did not adapt Smith’s design,which he left as the choice for an exposed or unprotected site. However, he virtually redesignedMitchell’s plan, incorporating some of Smith’s ideas, including a long corridor at the back, and thusunusually, but sensibly, placing the entrance at one side, matched by a false door on the other side.This allowed an extra room in place of the traditional main door in the middle front. He also showedthat the plan could be adapted, depending on whether a smaller kitchen with a pantry was preferableto a smaller parlour and study. There is a slight flourish in the pediment to the front door.

When the Commissioners task was completed in 1835, there were 32 churches built and 41 manses,23 single storey and 18 two storey, ranging from Shetland to Islay. The total cost was £54,422, with afurther £12,384 for the Commissioner’s and surveyor’s costs, which included Telford’s own charges of£400.

Fig. 3. Pulpit, Stoer Church, Assynt, Highland, 1971. [demolished] © Allan Maclean

Single storey Manse, Plockton, Highland.

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Recording Telford’s Work for the National Monument Record ofScotland

Miles OglethorpeRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Edinburgh

As the celebrations relating to the 250th anniversary of Thomas Telford’s birth gather momentum in2007, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) ispreparing celebrations of its own. In 2008, RCAHMS and its sister body in Wales (RCAHMW) will be 100years old, the English Royal Commision have merged with English Heritage in 1999. The Commissions’primary purpose was the recording of historic buildings and monuments, and they set about achievingthis aim on a topographic basis, publishing summaries of their survey work in a sequence of countyinventories. Unfortunately, the RCAHMS initial remit explicitly excluded the recording of sites datingfrom after 1707, thereby systematically ignoring hugely important industrial and engineering sites fromits survey programmes.

This restriction was relaxed gradually in subsequent decades, but the recording of industrial andengineering sites did not become a formally recognised component of survey activity until the 1960swhen major industrial structures, such as Carron Ironworks, were included in the Stirlingshire Inventory.From this time on, some of Scotland’s most important industrial monuments were included withincreasing frequency within survey programmes, sometimes because they were threatened withimminent destruction as de-industrialisation accelerated throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

At this time, survey activities benefited hugely from the work of the late Geoffrey Hay, who pioneeredvery detailed measured survey techniques which, with the collaboration of staff in the RCAHMSdrawing office, resulted in the production of informative and beautiful drawings of often complex andlarge structures. This was typified by work on a number of historic engineering works, including theerecting shop at Fairfield Shipyard (which still survives as part of BAe Govan), and the Randolph & Eldermarine engine works in Tradeston, Glasgow, which was subsequently demolished.

Fig. 1: Longitudinal section, axonometriccut-away view and ground floor plan ofCarron Ironworksby Geoffrey Hay, 1960, SC357953, ©Crown Copyright: RCAHMS

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In the early 1980s, attention turned to recording Telford’s Craigellachie Bridge in Speyside. It was builtin 1812-15 and is one of the finest cast-iron bridges in Britain. It comprises a single 45.7m arched span,with 4 ribs (4.6m apart) supported by rustic ashlar abutments, with a pair of castellated rustic ashlartowers at each end, each 15.2 metres high. The ironwork originated from Plas Kynaston inDenbeighshire, Telfords favoured iron founder, and the total cost of construction was £8,200. It wasrestored in 1964 by Banff, Moray and Nairn County Councils, and subsequently bypassed when theA941 road was diverted onto a new adjacent bridge in 1972.

The results of the survey included a sequence of drawings that portrayed elements of the bridge’sstructure in intricate detail. A selection of the images was included in the book, Monuments ofIndustry, co-authored by Geoffrey Hay and his colleague, Geoffrey Stell, which was published by RCAHMSin 1986.

Fig. 2: Drawing completed in 1973 showingthe west and south elevations of the Randolph& Elder Engineering Works, Glasgow, withaxonometric view and plan by Alan Leith,SC357928, © Crown Copyright: RCAHMS

Fig. 3: Photograph of Telford’sCraigellachie Bridge in 1980, SC944773,© Crown Copyright: RCAHMS

Fig. 4: Drawing of Craigellachie Bridge, publishedin 1838 in the Atlas to the Life of Thomas Telford,Civil Engineer, SC367749, © Crown Copyright:RCAHMS

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Other Telford structures in Scotland were included in RCAHMS’s survey programmes, but not on asystematic basis, and not usually in great detail. For example, photographic surveys were generatedfor the Dean Bridge in Edinburgh, Lothian Bridge at Pathead in Midlothian, Dunkeld Bridge in Perthshire,a number of harbours, and the Caledonian Canal. However, perhaps the best overall coverage ofTelford’s work was provided by Professor John R Hume who donated the photographs from hisextensive surveys of Scotland’s industrial heritage (completed from the 1960s to the 1980s) to RCAHMS.Most of these images can be now be accessed online via Canmore at rcahms.gov.uk.

In the meantime, the extent to which civil engineering structures in general have been comparativelyoverlooked in past RCAHMS survey programmes was recently revealed by collaborative work with theInstitution of Civil Engineers on the forthcoming Scottish civil engineering Heritage volume, the last in aseries of books produced by the Panel of Historic Engineering Works covering Britain and Ireland. Thecollaboration revealed the extent to which some very important engineering structures in Scotland arepoorly represented in the RCAHMS collections.

Fig. 5: Details of half elevation, principalstructural features, sections and plans ofCraigellachie Bridge, drawn by Geoffrey Hayin 1982, SC367467, © Crown Copyright:RCAHMS

Fig. 6: Telford’s Dunkeld Bridge inPerthshire, photographed by RCAHMS in2003, SC 1035763, © Crown Copyright:RCAHMS

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The opportunity has therefore been taken to embark upon a long-term recording programme ofScotland’s civil engineering heritage. This will include all the major Telford structures that currently areunder-represented in the archive. Survey will include ground and aerial photography, and in selectedcases, measured survey. In the case of photography, even where fine historical images exist, there isoften a need for up-to-date imagery, particularly now that digital colour photography has replacedblack and white film as the principal recording medium.

As part of the programme, work is already under way on Telford’s ‘Fleet Mound’ in Sutherland. Thisstructure was built in 1814-16 and comprises an embankment with a bridge at the northern end,spanning the mouth of Loch Fleet. The bridge was originally of four-arch form, but had two furtherarches added in 1837. The six arches are fitted with non-return wooden flap valves to prevent seawaterfrom penetrating into Loch Fleet. There are small stone buildings on each side which house winding-gear to raise the flaps thereby permitting fish to pass to and from the loch. The new recording workwill include measured survey, as well as ground and aerial photography.

In the long-term, therefore, the aim is to ensure that the works of Thomas Telford are coveredappropriately, and that with the assistance of new technology, images and information from ourcollections can be made available to a wider audience, particularly through the RCAHMS Canmoreweb service.

Fig. 7: ‘The Mound’, Telford’s project at the mouth ofLoch Fleet in Sutherland, DP013857 2006, © CrownCopyright: RCAHMS

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Thomas Telford and the Göta Canal, Sweden, 175 Years On

Claes-Göran ÖsterlundCanal Director, AB Göta Kanalbolag

There had been thoughts of building a canal across Sweden ever since the sixteenth century butdifferent things always seemed to come in the way of realizing those plans. In the early days thetechnique was inadequate and the many wars which Sweden was involved in took all the finances andmanpower. There was simply nothing left for canal projects. The first Swedish engineer, ChristofferPolhem, made an attempt to bypass the great falls at Trollhättan in the early eighteenth century, but itwas aborted and Lake Vänern did not acquire a navigable outlet to the Baltic Sea until the year 1800.

The construction of Göta Canal became a reality when Baltzar von Platen got hold of the proposed andsurveyed line done by Daniel af Thunberg and Elias Schveder in the 1780s. He was the right man to getthe job done, not was he only an admiral but also a great inspirer and with hisconnections in the noble society he had the means to convince the right people that this was a projectwhich was doable. He got the approval of the Swedish King Gustav IV Adolf who then asked for atmore detailed survey of the line and the costs and timetable of the project. On the behalf of the king,Baltzar von Platen wrote to Thomas Telford and invited him to Sweden.

Thomas Telford arrived in Sweden on the 8th of August 1808. He met von Platen at Sätra bruk andthey almost immediately started the survey. It took Telford and Platen a remarkably short time, onlytwenty days, to mark out the Göta Canal which stretches 190 kilometres between Lake Vänern andthe Baltic Sea. Telford stayed at Frugården, Platen’s manor to write his report. During that time Telfordmade friends for life with the Count and his wife Hedvig.

Baltzar von Platen had no trouble finding unqualified labour within the country but he needed to recruittechnically qualified personnel from other parts of the world. Since Great Britain had taken atremendous industrial stride during the end of the eighteenth century it was natural that he turned hisattention there. In order to transfer technology from Britain to Sweden the Göta Canal Company hadto solve a series of problems. Today it’s difficult to imagine the reality that von Platen and his associateshad to master in order to find the right producers for the right products in Britain. Their knowledge ofthe British state of affairs was fragmented and often out of date even if their interest in Britain wasgenuine. Thomas Telford had a built up a network of contacts and he generously supplied the GötaCanal Company with all the new technology they needed to buy. The Göta Canal Company bought forinstance two pairs of lock gates made of cast iron and shovels, picks and wheelbarrows were importedas models so that these could be mass produced within the country. The legal issues were mostcertainly influenced by the political aspects during this period. Sweden was formally in war with Britain,but this did not seem to affect the negotiations between the two countries.

Thomas Telford came back to Sweden in 1813 to inspect how the building of Göta Canal progressed.He recommended that they from this point should concentrate the work on certain points so that somelengths of the canal could be opened to navigation as soon as possible. This same year James Simpsonand John Wilson were sent, as the two first British workmen, to Sweden. British masons and craftsmenwere being employed in Sweden during the years to follow; in 1817, forexample, 13 were employed. Their wages varied from £70 a year to more than £200, plus travellingand living expenses. That was really good pay in these days.

Gustaf Adolf Lagerheim and Johan Edström were two young and intelligent men whom Baltzar vonPlaten had taken personal interest in and they were chosen to visit Britain to learn from the greatengineer Thomas Telford himself during a nine month long stay. Thomas Telford inspected all thedifferent building locations which he was in charge of and the two Swedes learned a great deal duringthis time.

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In March 1822 Baltzar von Platen visits Thomas Telford in Britain and together they make a tour. Platenstays for five weeks and in a letter he writes to Telford, while waiting at Harwich for a fair wind home,he says: “Yes, my dear friend I shall leave this shore perhaps for ever but certainly these last 5 weeksof stay in England will be remembered for ever by me as an immense augmentation on theconsiderable debt I already stood in with You, to whom I own all the Success of latter years; nay more,the strength of fighting the obstacles thrown in my way; but You are no friend of words and so no moreof the subject…”

From the start Thomas Telford and Baltzar von Platen recognised each other as kindred spirits. Throughthe letters we can tell that they were very fond of each other and Telford often supported Platens ideasand comforted him when he was in despair over different hardships during the building of Göta Canal.Telford became an important person whom Platen could confide in and though he was a man of fewwords, he always seemed to find just the right ones to ease Their friendship lasted until the day vonPlaten’s life ended on 6th of December 1829 in Christiania, Norway.

The Göta Canal 2007

The Göta Canal is one of Sweden’s best known and most popular tourist attractions, and has beennamed the Swedish Construction of the Millennium. The canal was built between 1810 and 1832,employing a total of 58,000 conscripted soldiers. Construction was initiated and headed by Baltzar vonPlaten.

The Göta Canal stretches between Sjötorp on Lake Vänern and Mem at the Baltic Sea, with 58 locksalong the way. The total length of the canal is 190 km, which only 87 km are man-made. The canal’shighest point, 91, 8 m above sea level, is Lake Viken. The Göta Canal is open for traffic from 2 May-23September 2007.

Each year over 5 000 pleasure boats populate the Göta Canal and over 3 million people visit theCanal and its surroundings.

AB Göta kanalbolag (AB Göta Canal Company) was formed in 1810 in connection with the start of thecanal construction. Construction of the canal was completed in 1832. The canal was in privateownership until 1978, when the company was taken over by the Swedish state. The Swedish

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parliament considered it was the business of the state to take responsibility for the future running andrepair of the Göta Canal so that its value as a culturally-historical structure and a tourist attractioncould be maintained. The state will continue to own the company in future where it, the canal propertyand the company’s forests will continue to be a coherent unit. Financing of the canal’s repair will beensured by the government.

AB Göta kanalbolag runs the canal and property business. The activities directly connected to the canalbusiness include laying up boats and shipyard work, external work, bridge maintenance, sales andmuseum activity. The property business includes management of forests, land and property connectedto the canal for both historical and practical purposes.

The canal company also operates comprehensive maintenance and repair activities. Development workoccurs in close cooperation with municipalities, county councils, regions, county administrative boardsand businesses along the canal.

There are 23 employees at AB Göta kanalbolag and each year, the company employs approximately120 lockkeepers and bridge guards during the sailing season in order to look after our visitors on theCanal.

AB Göta kanalbolag will maintain and develop the Göta Canal, our country’s greatest cultural-historicalconstruction, and properly maintain the company’s properties, land and forest holdings to a high levelof quality, and showing consideration to the environment and nature. The Göta Canal will be Sweden’sleading tourist waterway and visitor destination.

Classic passenger ship M/S DIANA runs on the Gota Canal between Goteborg and Stockholm

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The famous flight of locks at Berg which lifts the boats 18.8 metres

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Telford’s iron bridge mastery

Professor Roland Paxton MBE FRSESchool of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

In 1778, at the time Telford was working as a young stonemason on Langholm Bridge with its three 40ft (12 m) span masonry arches, there was no alternative to the use of stone for permanent bridges. Thelongest spans achievable using masonry were about 100 ft (30 m), because of the difficulty insupporting the weight of the arch-stones whilst the arch was being formed. Telford’s destiny was toincrease bridge spans some six-fold, through his mastery in the innovative use of iron at the limits ofpracticability to become the ‘Pontifex Maximus’ of his time.

Three years later, the world’s first significant iron bridge, with a span of 100½ ft (30.6 m), wascompleted at Coalbrookdale, an event which stimulated Telford from 1794-1826, by then a civilengineer, to harness the potential of improved iron technology to his canal and road practice.

On canals Telford implemented state-of-the-art, user-beneficial, practice. From 1794, to obviate theuse of bulky masonry aqueducts and end locks, he used iron to achieve high-level light aqueducts onthe Ellesmere Canal. The earliest known iron aqueduct drawing is Telford’s 1794 design for crossing theDee at Pontcysyllte, near Llangollen [Fig 1-1]. Completed in 1805, at about 1,027 ft (313 m) long and upto 126 ft (38 m) high, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct represents the supreme structural engineeringachievement of the canal age [Fig. 1-2]. It is still in constant use.

Telford’s ironwork design was based on, intuition, experiment, attention to detail and traditional timber

Fig. 1-1 Telford’s design for Pontcysyllte Aque-duct in March 1794[Science Museum Library, London, No. 110, 592/61]

Fig. 1-2 Pontcysyllte Aqueduct asbuilt. [TELFORD T.‘Navigation Inland’.Edin. Ency.,1830, XV, 311, pl. CCCCXV (part).First issue 1821]

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practice, combined with invaluable advice and high quality ironwork from ironmasters Wm. Reynoldsand Wm. Hazledine. Before Pontcysyllte Aqueduct design was finalised, Telford and Reynolds provedthe iron aqueduct concept in use at Longdon-on-Tern on the Shrewsbury Canal in 1796. The structuralprinciple of both was a combination of a U-section beam and arches.

On roads – cast iron bridges. Telford improved on the near semi-circular arch at Coalbrookdale in1795-96 when, following the destruction by flood of old Buildwas Bridge, he replaced it in iron [Fig. 2-1]. In his design he adopted the Swiss ‘Schaffenhausen’ timber arch principle, that is, using outersuspending ribs to give extra support to the main bearing ribs with their rise of only 13% of the span.Telford thus achieved a 30% greater span than at Coalbrookdale for half the weight of ironwork,demonstrating that using cast iron enabled a flatter and more economical arch to be achieved. Thebridge, opened in June 1796, became the world’s longest span cast iron bridge until the completion ofSunderland Bridge soon afterwards.

In 1800-01 Telford proposed a bold cast iron arch replacement of 600 ft (183 m) span for old LondonBridge [Fig. 2-2]. Although not executed this design contains the embryo of the bracing and ribelevation of his landmark light-weight lozenge lattice bridge type, the first arch of which, of 150 ft(45.7 m) span, was erected at Bonar Bridge over the Kyle of Sutherland in 1811-12.

The innovative light-weight Bonar structure, with the whole arch and superstructure acting as oneframe, combined elegance with economy and strength to an unparalleled degree [Fig. 2-3]. Its successencouraged iron bridge-building generally and established Telford and Hazledine’s leading reputation inthis art. Of the seventeen cast iron road bridges exceeding 32 m span in service by 1830, sixteen werein Britain, of which nine were by Telford, and one each by Rennie and others. Telford also developed asmaller span open-frame radially-oriented iron bridge type.

Fig. 2-1 Buildwas Bridge (1796-1905) [Telford’s design in Plymley’s Shropshire, pl. 4,1803, and TELFORD T. ‘Bridge’. Edin. Ency.,1830, IV, 538-41, pl. XCII. First issue Feb.1812]

Fig. 2-2 Telford’s iron arch proposal for London Bridge [Rep. Sel. Com. on Improvement of Port ofLondon. House of Commons, 3 June 1801]

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Other bridges of the basic Bonar genre erected, mostly of 150 ft (45.7 m) span, included Craigellachie(1814), now Scotland’s earliest surviving iron road bridge; Betws-y-coed (1815), carrying the A5 on a105 ft (32.1 m) span; Esk or ‘Metal’ Bridge (1822), near Longtown, [Fig. 2-4]; Eaton Hall Estate Bridge(1824), Chester; Mythe Bridge (1826), Tewkesbury, of 170 ft (51.8 m) span, with more structurallyefficient vertically orientated lozenges [Fig. 2-5]; Holt Fleet (1827); and Galton Bridge (1829) on theBirmingham Canal, the last of the genre for which Telford was the engineer. All except Bonar and Eskare still in use to varying extents. The lozenge elevation influenced elegance in many later bridges, forexample, at St. Nicholas St. Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne (1848) and Carron Bridge (1863) over theSpey.

Fig. 2-3 Bonar Bridge (1812–92). [6th Rep. Highland Roads & Bridges, House of Commons, 1813]

Fig. 2-4 Esk or ‘Metal’ Bridge (1822-1916) on the Glasgow to Carlisle Road [10th Reportof Commissioners for Repair of Roads and Bridges in Scotland. House of Commons, 25 March 1824]

Fig. 2-5 Mythe Bridge, Tewkesbury, 1826 © Mike Winney 2004

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On roads – suspension bridges. Telford had proposed using wrought iron bars in suspension as earlyas 1811 to support centring from above for a large cast iron arch at Menai Strait. But it was not until1814 that he began designing suspension bridges in earnest, conducting more than 200 strength ex-periments, the results of which were widely disseminated from 1817. Telford also erected and load-tested the first iron wire bridge [Fig. 3-1]. It was a 50 ft (15.2m), one-twentieth scale, model of a 1000ft (305m) span he was proposing to erect across the Mersey at Runcorn.

Although not executed, work on the Runcorn project, and into the next decade for Menai Bridge,formed part of a more or less continuous design process to the completion of Menai Bridge in 1826.Telford’s masterpiece at Menai, the first great suspension bridge, was then the world’s longest. It is1388 ft (423 m) long with a main span of about 580 ft (176 m). In 1940 its deck and ironwork werereplaced to cater for modern traffic, with minimal loss of character, under the direction of Sir AlexanderGibb & Partners. The bridge now carries the A5 traffic without weight limit [Fig. 3-2]. Conwy Bridge(1826), of 327 ft (100 m) span created with the same technology, has its original ironwork. It is now isowned by the National Trust and is no longer in vehicular use. For both bridges, ‘Merlin’ Hazledine wasthe ironfounder and Telford’s key assistants were William Provis and Thomas Rhodes.

Menai Bridge, which combined elegance and functionality to an unprecedented extent, was alandmark in suspension bridge development. Despite wind-induced deck oscillation problems whichexercised the skills of Provis and others from 1839, it fundamentally influenced the use anddevelopment of the type, and established its role as the most economic means of achieving the longestspans, now exemplified at Akashi Straits Bridge, Japan, with a span eleven times greater.

Fig. 3-1 Telford’s wire bridge model 1814 preserved at Ellesmere ca. 1906, and cross-section at asupport showing 0.1 in (2.5 mm) wire positions [British Waterways Archive, Gloucester Docks, WP 64/53]

Fig. 3-2 Menai Bridge © Chris Morris [On tour with Thomas Telford. Tanner’s Yard Pr., Longhope, 2004]

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An American Perspective on Telford

Professor Henry Petroski,Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, DukeUniversity, Durham, USA

Thomas Telford and his works were well known in America in the mid-nineteenth century, and hisinfluence on American bridge building was wide and profound. Allusions and direct references to “thefamous Menai bridge by Telford” or simply “Telford’s bridge” were commonly encountered in booksand articles on suspension bridges published in America, as were references to his 1800 proposal for aniron arch bridge spanning six hundred feet and providing sixty-five feet of clearance over the Thamesat London. This latter structure, while never realized, proved to play an important role in the design ofthe first bridge to cross the Mississippi River at St. Louis.

American-born James Buchanan Eads was not a bridge builder himself, but he was to be themastermind behind the great bridge across the Mississippi that would come to bear his name. As wascommon in America at the time, Eads learned a good deal about engineering through self-directedreading, trial and error, and studying and improving on the prior art. Among Eads’s first efforts atengineering was the development of a salvage vessel and diving bell by which he could explore theMississippi River bottom and retrieve valuable lost cargo from it. His success at the enterprise broughthim wealth and influence in St. Louis, and when that city was threatened with losing railroad traffic toChicago, Eads led a committee appointed by the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce to determine whatrestrictions should be placed on a bridge to satisfy the interests of both marine and land transportation.

In the course of his reading engineering literature, Eads undoubtedly came across repeated referencesto Telford and his bridges, both realized and not. In 1866, nearly echoing Telford’s half-century-oldproposal, Eads recommended that legislation granting a concession for a bridge at St. Louis specify aminimum distance of 600 feet between piers and a minimum headroom of 50 feet above high water.These constraints were believed to provide a sufficiently wide channel and high clearance toaccommodate the heavy riverboat traffic on the Mississippi and, incidentally, to stave off someopposition from those whose business would be adversely affected by a bridge. These latter includedespecially the operators of lighters that ferried transshipments between the railroad terminals on eitherside of the river.

The legislation that finally was passed required only a clear span of 500 feet, a specification that couldbe satisfied by a suspension bridge or a tubular bridge, both of which types had either achieved orapproached such a span length in the 1850s. However, the legislation specifically excluded the use ofa suspension bridge, perhaps because so many early nineteenth-century examples—including Telford’sown Menai crossing—had had their decks destroyed in the wind. Tubular bridges—notably Robert

Fig. 1. James Buchanan Eads (1820-1887)

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Stephenson’s Britannia—had quickly gained a poor reputation for their lack of economy andenvironmental shortcomings, and so that form was not judged appropriate for a St. Louis crossing.Eads’s own proposal employed a metal arch, with the main river crossing comprising three arch spansbearing a strong resemblance to those of the railroad bridge across the Rhine at Coblenz, to whichEads referred in discussing his plan. Eads’s bridge design also bore some resemblance to Telford’s 1822Esk Bridge on the Glasgow to Carlisle Road. In its multiple masonry arches of the approach spans,Eads’s bridge also evoked those of Telford’s Menai Strait suspension bridge.

At the time, no arch span constructed anywhere in the world exceeded 400 feet. There was thussome skepticism expressed that Eads, who had theretofore neither designed nor built a bridge (letalone a record-setting one), had proposed something achievable. In response to his critics, Eadsinvoked Telford’s six-decades’-old proposal for a 600-foot arch as providing “some ‘engineeringprecedent’ to justify a span of 100 feet less in 1867.” To Eads, the advances in bridge-buildingexperience and in the strength of materials (cast steel was more that eight times as strong as cast ironin compression) that had been made since Telford’s proposal, made it “safe to assert that the project ofthrowing a single arch of cast steel, two thousand feet in length, over the Mississippi, is less bold indesign, and fully as practicable” as Telford’s of cast iron. The Eads Bridge stands today as a monumentto its engineer and to his consultant-in-spirit, Telford.

Eads was not the only American engineer who drew inspiration and resolve from Telford’s structures.Although the weaknesses that the Menai Strait and other suspension bridges exhibited in the windcaused British engineers to shy away from the form, the German-American John A. Roebling foundvaluable lessons to be learned from studying the failures. He observed that heavy winds were“unquestionably the greatest enemies of suspension bridges” and concluded that “weight, girders,trusses, and stays” were necessary to obviate damage during storms. Following his own prescription,Roebling designed and built over the Niagara Gorge the first suspension bridge (1854) to carry railroadtrains. He went on to design the 1,110-foot-span suspension bridge over the Ohio River at Cincinnati,which is interpreted to be a model for his masterwork, the Brooklyn Bridge, with its 1,595-foot mainspan. Though Roebling did not live to see this great bridge built, his son Washington Roebling and hiswife Emily Warren Roebling oversaw its construction through to completion, which occurred in 1883.

Fig. 2. Telford’s Esk Bridge (courtesy of Roland Paxton)

Fig. 3. Eads Bridge (from an 1880s Merchants Exchange of St. Louis stock certificate)

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Fig. 4. Brooklyn Bridge

Both of these bridges might be seen to owe an inspirational and aesthetic debt to Telford’s Menai Straitmasterpiece.

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Telford’s London to Holyhead Road

Richard TurnerInspector of Ancient Monuments, Cadw, Welsh Assembly Government

IntroductionThe science which has been displayed in giving the general line of the road a proper inclination througha country [Wales] whose whole surface consists of a succession of rocks, bogs, ravines and precipices,reflects the greatest credit upon the engineer who had planned them.’

So wrote the Parliamentary Commissioners in 1819 when Thomas Telford was four years into whatwas his greatest project, the building of the London – Holyhead Road. The icons of this road, the Menaiand Conwy Suspension Bridges are world-famous. In this paper, I will set out the historical backgroundto the building of the Holyhead Road, how Telford became involved and imposed his personality on theproject, and how efficiently he organized and delivered this remarkable engineer feat. The HolyheadRoad was the best road built in Britain since the Romans, and it was to become the model for majorroad building throughout the world in the 19th century. To a very large extent it remains a major roadin use and to end this paper I will describe how attitudes towards its improvement and maintenancehave recently changed.

Historical BackgroundIn 1800, Britain had been at war with France for seven years. In 1798, the United Irishman rose againstthe government in the hope of French support. The rebellion was brutally suppressed and an Act ofUnion was passed which combined the Irish and British parliaments in Westminster. This reinforced theneed for fast, reliable communication between London and Dublin. Initially work was focussed onimproving the harbours at Holyhead and Howth under John Rennie’s supervision, but in 1810 aParliamentary Select Committee was established to improve the road link, between London andHolyhead. They appointed Thomas Telford, who had proved his skill in building the Highland Roads, tosurvey and report on the options. Work did not begin until 1815 (Fig. 1) and the final link, the MenaiSuspension Bridge was not closed till 1826.

Fig. 1. The Waterloo Bridge from Telford’s Atlas.

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Thomas TelfordWhen Telford undertook the survey of the Holyhead Road through the mountains of Wales in thewinter of 1810-11 he was at the height of his career. Since 1788 he had been county surveyor forShropshire and, from 1793, engineer of the Ellesmere Canal, culminating in the building of the PontcysyllteAqueduct. These links ensured that the new road passed through Shrewsbury, and that he was notfrightened of taking on the challenging topography of north Wales (Fig. 2).

Characteristically he set himself the challenge of reducing the journey time from London – Holyheadfrom 42 hours to 28 hours. This was only achieved by the Government buying out the interest of the sixturnpike trusts, which controlled the road from Shrewsbury to Holyhead, and the Bangor and ConwyFerries. Telford made radical improvements to the existing roads, by producing an all-weather roadsurface and building a succession of embankments, cuttings and bridges to achieve a gradient of nomore than 1:20 despite the terrain. It was Telford’s willingness to set previously unattainable standards,as well as demanding construction of the highest quality, which assured his objectives were met.

Fig. 2. Plan of Telford’s works in north Wales from his Atlas

Fig. 3. Details from the specification for Lot III.

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Project ManagementDuring these early days of civil engineering, what is most remarkable is Telford’s efficiency as a projectmanager. The Holyhead Road Commissioners placed enormous trust in Telford to manage the worksand the costs. He placed similar trust in a handpicked team of assistants, many young protegés whohad worked for him on other projects. During the survey and construction, Telford was constantly onthe move working throughout England and Scotland and advising on projects in Ireland and Sweden.He travelled by coach and issued instructions by letter.

The work in Wales was divided into 123 lots. For each, a comprehensive yard-by-yard specificationof work was written accompanied by a professionally-surveyed map, and plans and elevations ofany significant structures (Fig. 3). The lots were subject to fixed price tenders from a number of

contractors. The work was managed by two resident engineers, William Provis, his effective deputy,and his younger brother John Provis. They had four inspectors of works who ensured that thestandards and detailed specifications were applied rigorously (Fig. 4).

So effective was this system that it is impossible to see the join between individual lots.Characteristically Telford tackled the hardest lots first, beginning with the Nant Ffrancon Pass (Fig. 5).He recognised the problem of hiring workmen and establishing a construction camp in this removevalley.

Fig. 4. Diagram showing the organisation and management of the building of the Holyhead Road.

Fig. 5. Telford’s embankment in the Nant Ffrancon Pass.

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The three major structures, the Menai and Conwy Suspension Bridges, and the Stanley Embankmentwere treated differently. Here the contracts were placed with Telford’s most trusted contractors,under the direct supervision of William Provis.

Holyhead Road TodayThe rapid rise of the railways saw the newly-completed Holyhead Road fall into disuse. By 1837, themails went via railway to Liverpool, and 1850 saw the completion of the Chester-Holyhead Railway.From that date regular maintenance of the road in Wales was suspended. Not until the rise of themotor car and lorry after the First World War did the Holyhead Road become an important transportlink again. In 1935-6, new tunnels were dug through the Penmaenmawr headlands and in 1938-40,the chains and deck of the Menai Suspension Bridge were replaced. Following a fire, Robert Stephenson’sBritannia Bridge was modified and re-opened in 1980 to carry road and rail traffic (Fig. 6). Majorimprovements were planned and undertaken on the A55 along the north Wales coast and acrossAnglesey in the 1980s and 1990s. However in 1997, the government recognised the importance of themainland A5 as a living industrial monument and an historic route. The decision was made to make thetraffic fit the road; not the road fit the traffic. This was a revolutionary idea at the time and a moreconservation-based approach to engineering repairs is now taken, as at the Nant Ffranconembankment and Pont Padog bridge.

Fig. 6. Robert Stephenson’s Britannia Bridge after its conversion to road and rail use.

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George BallingerHead of Engineering – Technical,British Waterways

George worked with W.A. Fairhurst and Partners( Civil & Structural engineers) from 1973 to 1993.He started as a graduate engineer and becamean Associate Partner in 1991. He worked on manylarge projects including the Moat House Hotel onthe Glasgow Waterfront before leaving to joinBritish Waterways Scotland as Chief Engineer.There he developed the project to restore theCaledonian Canal and took the initiative to restorethe Lowland Canals from concept to conclusion,culminating in the opening by the Queen in may2002 of the magnificent and innovative FalkirkWheel. He has now been promoted to Head ofEngineering for British Waterways and overseesthe engineering side of the business.

Allan BeeneRepresentative of the President,American Society of Civil Engineers

Mr Beene is a Project Manager with FacilitiesEngineering at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).He received his bachelor’s in Civil Engineering fromTexas A&M University and his master’s in BusinessAdministration from Corpus Christi StateUniversity. He is a licensed professional engineerin Texas and Oklahoma.

Mr. Beene has been active in the civil engineeringcommunity for 30 years. His commitment to theprofession and his leadership through service areexemplified by his work within ASCE at all levels.He served the Texas Section as president,vice-president for Educational Affairs and chairedseveral section committees. He served as CorpusChristi Branch president and section director fromthe Dallas Branch. He chaired the ASCEGovernment Engineers - Policy Issues Committeeand currently serves as Director for District 15(Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma) to theSociety Board of Direction.

As a corridor manager for DART, he leads amultidisciplinary team providing design and designsupport during construction in an expansion projectthat will add 17.6 mi (28.3 km) of service to DART’s42 mi (67.6 km) Light Rail System, including 12 new

stations. The team includes civil, structural,mechanical and electrical engineers, along witharchitects, landscape architects and communityaffairs specialists.

Before joining DART, Mr. Beene was director ofpublic works for Dallas County, Texas. He is highlyrespected throughout the civil engineeringcommunity for his communication, organizationaland planning skills.

Mr. Beene has been recognized by his peers asthe Outstanding Young Engineer in South Texas -1983 & 1984; the Dallas Branch ASCE Outstand-ing Achievement Award – 1997; and the TexasSection Professional Service Award - 1998He has authored or co-authored several papersand articles including Determining the OptimumLevel of Quality Management Effort, Co-author,ASCE Construction Congress 1991 Proceedings,Cambridge, MA; “Sweeter Air Deep in the Heartof Texas” Co-author, Public Works Magazine, April1997; Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze RiverTexas Section Meeting Proceedings, Fall 1999,Midland, Texas; “John William Smith - CivilEngineer and Texas Patriot” Texas Civil Engineer,Fall 2000, Volume 70, Number 4 & Journal ofProfessional Issues in Engineering Education andPractice, April 2001, Volume 127, Number 2; “LightRail Heads North” Co-author, Texas SectionMeeting Proceedings, Spring 2002, Arlington,Texas; International Transit Studies ProgramReport on the Spring 2001 Mission Design-BuildTransit Infrastructure Projects in Asia and AustraliaTransportation Cooperative Research ProgramResearch Results Digest November 2002 - Number53 - Contributor.

His civic involvement includes TransportationCommittee - North Dallas Chamber of Commerce;Stemmons Corridor Business Association; Marchof Dimes Board - WalkAmerica AdvisoryCommittee; Dallas County Employees CreditUnion Board;Past President Irving Area A&M Club;IntroDallas - Greater Dallas Chamber ofCommerce;Haskell Boulevard Alignment StudyExecutive Committee; Engineering Mentor forFutureCity Competition; Life Member Alpha PhiOmega National Service Fraternity;Member Highland Park United Methodist Church

APPENDIX ONE

BIOGRAPHIES

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Mike ChrimesHead of Knowledge Transfer,Institution of Civil Engineers

Mike Chrimes was born in Neston, where hisparents still live, and educated at local primaryschools and Wirral Grammar School. He has livedin London since 1972 and been working in theLibrary at the Institution of Civil Engineers since1977, and been Head Librarian there since 1987.The Library was the first engineering library in theUnited Kingdom and is one of the largestcollections of civil engineering information in theworld. Professionally he has been committed toimproving access to the Library collections by theuse of new technology, most recently by digitisingICE Proceedings back to 1836 for web access.

He has written and lectured extensively on thehistory of civil engineering. The author of Civil En-gineering 1839/1889: A Photographic History, hehas edited four other books. In October 2003 hecontributed three chapters to Robert Stephenson:The Eminent Engineer, edited by Michael R Bailey(Ashgate, 2003). He is currently researching arti-cles for a Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineersof Great Britain and Ireland, 1830-1890. He hasan interest in the economic aspects of the growthof civil engineering since mediaeval times, and iskeen to promote an awareness in the contribu-tion of civil engineers to economic growth amongthe general public.

Mark DuqueminAsset and Programme Manager,British Waterways – Wales and BorderCounties

Mark worked with Binnie & Partners from 1988 to1996 starting as a graduate engineer andbecoming an engineer in 1994. He initially workedon a range of projects including work on tidalpower feasibility and modelling. Subsequently hespent three years working on a wide variety ofprojects to correct the effects of miningsubsidence on various rivers and structures inNottinghamshire and a period of secondment as asenior project manager with the EnvironmentAgency. In 1997 Mark joined British Waterwaysand worked for their internal design consultancyfor six years before becoming a project manageron a range of projects including the refurbishmentof Hayhurst Swing Bridge and the replacement ofBritish Waterways’ workboat fleet. He is currentlyAsset & Programme Manager within the Wales &

Border Counties business unit of British Waterwayswith responsibility for major engineering works andasset management across 560km of canals andnavigation.

Christopher R FordRetired Consulting Engineer

Chris Ford is a civil engineer who practised as aconsulting engineer with Scott Wilson and later asa Director of JMP consultants Ltd. specialising inroads and bridges. After working on the M1 in theMidlands and the M6 in the Lake District he hasspent most of his career in Scotland where he hasdesigned bridges for the Glasgow Ring Road andthe Tummel and Cluny bridges for the PitlochryBy-pass. In Inverness he designed Friars Bridgeacross the River Ness and replaced JosephMitchell’s railway bridge across the river when itcollapsed in the floods of February 1989. He wasclosely involved in the siting and procurement ofthe privately funded Skye Bridge. He has also actedas Arbiter in a considerable number ofconstruction disputes.

Since retirement he has spent much time inDunkeld and the presence of the Telford’s bridgethere has reawakened his interest in that greatengineer.

Drew HillChairman, Institution of Civil Engineers Eastof Scotland Region

Drew is a Senior Engineer with Transport Scotland.He is keenly involved in inclusion, sustainability,noise, and research issues. A Chartered Civil andStructural Engineer, he is the chair of the East ofScotland Region of the Institution of Civil Engineers(ICE) for 2007 to 2008. His objectives for the yearare to develop links with schools, build on linkswith academia, work with others to develop alibrary of materials to demonstrate CivilEngineering Skills, and explore furtheropportunities for evening meetings.

His career to date has involved periods withcontractors, consultants, local authorities, and nowcentral government. He has been involved in avariety of project types. These have principally beentransport related but have included, buildingrenovation, harbour renewal, and largeearthmoving. Taking forward a PhD onSustainability issues at Glasgow Caledonian,organised a recent Sustainability debate

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“Legislation – Is it the only answer”.

Professor Hiroshi IsohataDept of Civil Engineering, College of IndustrialTechnology, Nihon University, Japan

Hiroshi Isohata, born in 1947 received his B.Sc. in1971 from College of Industrial Technology ofNihon University, Japan. Since 1971 to 2004 hehas been working in Steel Structural Division ofNKK Corporation (now JFE EngineeringCorporation), Japanese steel making company. In2004 he moved from JFE Engineering Corporationto Civil Engineering Department, Nihon Universityas a professor. After graduating University, he hadbeen involved in professional practice as bridgedesign engineer for 14 years, and then he wasappointed the Manager & Civil Engineer of NKKLondon office in 1985. During his two and half yearstay in London he started his research work onhistorical aspect of civil engineering including ironand steel bridges. After he returned to Tokyo, hewas appointed Senior Manager and has beeninvolved in some bridge projects including TokyoTransit Bay Road , Honshu- Shikoku Bridge Projectas a head of the business section. His study oncivil engineering history has been continued andhis papers and articles on the study exceed morethan 50. He published 9 books including theJapanese version of “Iron Bridge” in 1989 and “100years of the Forth Bridge” in 1993. He is amember of Japan Society of Civil Engineers. Hereceived his doctoral degree in 1996 from Collegeof Science & Technology of Nihon University,Japan. He is now a chairman of Committee on theStudy of Repair and Strengthening of HistoricalSteel Bridges JSCE, Committee on CivilEngineering Library, JSCE and vice chairman ofCommittee of Civil Engineering History, JSCE.

Professor Quentin J LeiperPresident, Institution of Civil Engineers

Professor Quentin Leiper is the director forengineering and the environment at Carillion plc.where he is responsible for leading Carillion´ssustainability programme and for reporting,technical engineering, research and links withprofessional institutions and universities.Quentin has over 30 years experience in bothoperational management and technical roles in theconstruction industry. He graduated in civilengineering in 1975 from Glasgow University, hasan MSc in Geotechnical Engineering, and is achartered civil engineer and a chartered

environmentalist.

He spent 16 years working for specialistsub-contractors in foundations, ground treatmentand geotechnical engineering before joiningCarillion in 1991. Some of the major projects hehas worked on include Canary Wharf and CanadaWater stations, Tees Barrage and theCopenhagen Metro. Since 2000 Quentin has alsobeen responsible for environmental issues and heinitiated and led Carillion´s sustainability strategyand corporate responsibility programme. Thisprogramme was recognised nationally by Businessin the Community, who awarded Carillion theirImpact on Society Award and named them as theirCompany of the Year in 2003.

Quentin has been involved in a wide range ofcommittees, forums and awards panels in theconstruction industry, including leading theformation of and serving as chairman of the BGA(British Geotechnical Association).

He is a former director and Council Member ofCIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association) and a member of twoBritish Standards committees. More recently hehas been a member of two working groups set upby the Sustainable Procurement Task Force andthe UK Construction Industry Sustainability Forum.

Quentin was a member of the Engineering andPhysical Sciences Research Council´s BuiltEnvironment College and a number of researchsteering groups. He has published almost 50papers and articles on a range of subjects,including; sustainability, environmental and supplychain management, the training and developmentof engineers, earthworks, construction,foundations, piling, reinforced soil and groundradar.

He was the founding editor of ICE´s Proceedingsjournal Engineering Sustainability, and a formermember of the ICE Proceedings journal,Geotechnical Engineering editorial panel.

Since 1998, Quentin has been a Visiting Professorin the School of Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering at the University of Edinburgh, wherehe is involved in both teaching and research and ischairman of the School Advisory Board. He hasalso served on the civil engineering Advisory Boardsof Nottingham, Southampton and CityUniversities. He is a regular lecturer and speaker

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at universities and conferences. He has been ajudge for the Science, Engineering andTechnology Student of the Year Award since theaward inception in 1997.

Alistair MacKenziePast-President, The Canadian Society for CivilEngineering

Graduate of the University of Aberdeen, startedhis engineering career as a construction engineeron Hydro Electric Power Projects in Scotland andwas thereafter employed by George Wimpey PLC.in a variety of Design and Construction roles onmajor Civil Engineering and Building Projects in theUK, followed by Senior Managementappointments in the UK, Middle East, United Statesand Canada.

Following a spell as a Consulting Engineer, wasappointed Associate Professor in the Faculty ofEngineering, Architecture and Science at RyersonUniversity, Toronto in 1991, subsequently servingas Programme Director, Department ofArchitectural Science, and Programme Managerof the Project Management CertificateProgramme in Ryerson University’s G. RaymondChang School of Continuing Education.

Retired as Professor Emeritus in 2003, butcontinues to teach on a part time basis in the CivilEngineering Undergraduate programmes at bothRyerson University in Toronto and McMasterUniversity in Hamilton, Ontario.

President of the Canadian Society for CivilEngineering, 2005-2006. Chair of the CSCENational History Committee, 1997-2004. Chair ofCSCE Publicity and External CommunicationsCommittee 1998-2000 and Chair of CSCE 2005Annual Conference in Toronto.

President of the Southern Ontario Chapter of theProject Management Institute, 1998-1999.

The Very Rev Allan MacLean of Dochgarroch

The Very Rev Allan Maclean of Dochgarroch wasawarded a first class honours degree in ScottishHistorical Studies from Edinburgh University in1972, partly for his work on Telford’s HighlandChurches. More recently he was, for fifteen years,Provost [Dean] of St John’s Cathedral, Oban.

He has served on the National Council of the

Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, beenChairman of the Argyll Friends of the National Trustfor Scotland, and is at present on the BuildingAdvisary Committee of the .Diocese of Edinburgh.He is also the editor of The Edge, the Journal ofthe Diocese of Edinburgh.

Dr Miles K OglethorpeRoyal Commission on the Ancient andHistorical Monuments of Scotland

Miles Oglethorpe manages the Architecture andIndustry recording programmes within the Survey& Recording division of the Royal Commission onthe Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland(RCAHMS). Whilst completing his PhD at theUniversity of Glasgow, he joined the ScottishIndustrial Archaeology Survey at StrathclydeUniversity, transferring to RCAHMS in 1985 wherehe specialised in historic industrial andengineering heritage. He is a member of theExecutive Committee of the Business ArchivesCouncil of Scotland, and of the English HeritageIndustrial Archaeology Panel. He is also the BritishNational Representative on The InternationalCommittee on the Conservation of the IndustrialHeritage, and has edited, authored andco-authored a number of books and papersrelating to industrial heritage. The latest is a bookentitled, ‘Scottish Collieries’, which was publishedin partnership with the Scottish Mining Museumin 2006.

Claes-Göran ÖsterlundDirector, AM Göta Kanalbolag

Claes-Goran Osterlund studied Ecomomics,Lawand History in Stockholm. In the early 1970’s hetravelled to Zermatt in Switzerland working as aski intructor. On his return to Sweden he startedan outbound Travel Agency located in Stockholmwhich had an operating office in New York. Claesalso travelled all over the USA to promoteScadinavia as a tourist destination. In Sweden hemanaged three hotels at Are, a famous ski resortin the north, and five years later bought his ownhotel, Hotel Ekoxen located in Linkoping. Claesalso established a private Medical Centre,RehabCentre and a wonderful Senior Centre, for peopleabove 55 years of age. In 1999, after planning toretire, he sold everything but was subsequentlyhired to become CEO for Gota Kanal. Managingthis wonderful historic canal and tourist attractionhas taught Claes a great deal about the foundersMr Balzar von Platen and Mr Thomas Telford.

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Professor Roland Paxton MBE FRSESchool of the Built Environment, Heriot-WattUniversity, Edinburgh

Roland Paxton, born in 1932, was educated in civilengineering at Manchester and then Heriot-WattUniversity where he obtained his PhD. He is afellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers [ICE],Since 1975 he has served on the Institution’s Panelfor Historical Engineering Works (chairman 1990-2003, now Vice-Chairman), engaged onknowledge promotion, recording, advising, andencouraging excellence in conservation of suchworks, since 1998 as chairman of the Institution’sHistoric Bridge and Infrastructure Awards Panel.

From 1955-90 he worked on highways anddrainage with large local authorities. Sinceretiring from Lothian Regional Council as a seniorprincipal engineer in 1990, he has engaged inteaching and research in engineering history andconservation at Heriot-Watt University andlectured extensively at home and abroad, gainingawards including the ICE’s Garth Watson medaland the American Society of Civil Engineers’History and Heritage award and an HonoraryDoctorate of Engineering

Professor Paxton is a trustee of the James ClerkMaxwell Foundation; chairman of the Forth BridgesVisitor Centre; from 1992-2002 was acommissioner on the Royal Commission on theAncient and Historical Monuments of Scotland;and, from 1992-99, he initiated and served on theLaigh Milton Viaduct Conservation Trust, whichraised £1.1m, bought for £2, and successfully savedthe world’s oldest surviving viaduct (1811) on apublic railway near Kilmarnock.

Professor Paxton’s publications relate mainly tohistorical engineering works of which twelvearticles and papers on various aspects of Telford’swork include, his entry on Telford in the newOxford Dictionary of National Biography and, the‘Introduction’ and ‘Cast iron bridges’ in ‘ThomasTelford: 250 years of inspiration’ comprising theMay Special Issue of Proceedings of the Institutionof Civil Engineers – Civil Engineering, 2007.

Professor Henry PetroskiChairman, ASCE History and HeritageCommittee, Department of Civil andEnvironmental Engineering, Duke University

is the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of CivilEngineering and a professor of history at DukeUniversity. He has written often on the topics ofdesign, success and failure, and the history ofengineering and technology. Among his dozenbooks on these subjects are To Engineer IsHuman, which was adapted for a BBC-televisiondocumentary, and Engineers of Dreams, a historyof American bridge building. His books have beentranslated into a variety of languages, includingChinese, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Italian,Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

He also lectures frequently, both at home andabroad, and has delivered numerous keynoteaddresses at national and internationalconferences. Among the scores of distinguishedlectures he has delivered have been the EasterHoliday Lecture for the Institution of StructuralEngineers, the McLaughlin Lecture for the Institution of Engineers of Ireland, and a series ofthree Vanuxem Lectures at Princeton University,which formed the basis of his most recent book,Success through Failure: The Paradox of Design.He has been an eminent speaker for theStructural College of the Institution of Engineers,Australia, lecturing throughout that country.He is a professional engineer licensed in Texas anda chartered engineer registered in Ireland. He hasheld fellowships from the GuggenheimFoundation, the Sloan Foundation, the NationalEndowment for the Humanities, and the NationalHumanities Center. Among his other honors arethe Washington Award from the Western Societyof Engineers, the Ralph Coats Roe Medal from theAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers, andthe Civil Engineering History and Heritage Awardfrom the American Society of Civil Engineers,whose history and heritage committee he chairs.He is the recipient of four honorary doctoraldegrees, as well as distinguished engineeringalumnus awards from Manhattan College and theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He isa fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers,the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, theInstitution of Engineers of Ireland, and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences. He isan honorary member of the Moles and a memberof the American Philosophical Society and the U.S.National Academy of Engineering.

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Alan G SimpsonChairman, Institution of Civil Engineers,Glasgow and West of Scotland Region

Alan Simpson has over 30 years experience sincegraduating with a degree in Engineering Scienceand Economics. For the past seventeen years hehas been a partner with W.A. Fairhurst & Partnersin Glasgow responsible for civil engineeringprojects particularly in the transportation andwater sectors. He has been involved in many majorbridges and roads schemes and has carried outmany projects on the Forth Road Bridge includingthe strengthening of the main towers and thereplacement of the hangers. He is nowinvestigating how to replace the main cables onthe bridge. In the water sector he has beenresponsible for many water supply and sewerageschemes as well as flood alleviation projectsincluding the flood management strategy for theRiver Clyde through Glasgow.

He is Chairman of the Glasgow and West ofScotland Region of the ICE and is a past memberof Council. He is Chairman of the National YouthOrchestras of Scotland, serves on the Court ofStirling University and is a Deputy Lieutenant forStirling and Falkirk.

Richard TurnerInspector of Ancient Monuments, CADW

Richard Turner studied both engineering andarchaeology at Cambridge University. He hasworked as an archaeologist for LancasterUniversity, British Gas and Cheshire CountyCouncil before taking up his current post ofinspector of ancient monuments with Cadw, theWelsh Assembly Government’s historicenvironment division. As part of his role as advisorto Transport Wales, he set up the firstarchaeological survey of Thomas Telford’sHolyhead Road and has used the results to shapethe future management of this living civilengineering icon.

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The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is an educational charity, registered in Scotland.Independent and non-party-political, we are working to provide public benefit throughoutScotland and by means of a growing international programme. The RSE has a peer-elected,multidisciplinary Fellowship of 1400 men and women who are experts within their fields.

The RSE was created in 1783 by Royal Charter for “the advancement of learning and usefulknowledge”. We seek to provide public benefit in today’s Scotland by:

• Organising lectures, debates and conferences on topical issues of lasting importance,many of which are free and open to all

• Conducting independent inquiries on matters of national and international importance

• Providing educational activities for primary and secondary school students throughoutScotland

• Distributing over £1.7 million to top researchers and entrepreneurs working in Scotland

• Showcasing the best of Scotland’s research and development capabilities to the rest ofthe World

• Facilitating two-way international exchange to enhance Scotland’s internationalcollaboration in research and enterprise

• Emphasising the value of educational effort and achievement by encouraging,recognising and rewarding it with scholarships, financial and other support, prizesand medals

• Providing expert information on Scientific issues to MSPs & Researchers through theScottish Parliament Science Information Service

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Plaque to be unveiled at Edinburgh’s Telford College after the conference[Alexander Pollock Precision Engravers, Haddington] (Photo: Roland Paxton)

The RSE: Educational Charity & Scotland’s National Academy22-26 George Street

EdinburghEH2 2PQ

e-mail: reports@royalsoced.org.ukTel. 0044 (0)131 240 5000Minicom: (0)131 240 5009

www.royalsoced.org.uk

Cover Image: Esk or ‘Metal’ Bridge (1822-1916) on the Glasgow to Carlisle Road [10th Reportof Commissioners for Repair of Roads and Bridges in Scotland. House of Commons, 25 March 1824]

Collected papers from a commemorativeconference held on 2 July 2007

The 250th Anniversary of thebirth of Thomas Telford

Theoyal ocietyR S

of Edinburgh