Thomas Telford | |
|---|---|
_-_Thomas_Telford_(1757%25E2%2580%25931834)_-_LL_3147_-_Lady_Lever_Art_Gallery.jpg) | |
| Born | (1757-08-09)9 August 1757 Glendinning, Westerkirk,Eskdale, Dumfriesshire, Scotland |
| Died | 2 September 1834(1834-09-02) (aged 77) Westminster, London, England |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Civil |
| Institutions | Founder and first President of theInstitution of Civil Engineers (1818) |
| Projects | |
| Signature | |
_(cropped).jpg) | |
Thomas TelfordFRS FRSE (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects inShropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well as harbours and tunnels. Such was his reputation as a prolific designer of highways and related bridges, he was dubbed the 'Colossus of Roads' (a pun on theColossus of Rhodes), and, reflecting his command of all types of civil engineering in the early 19th century, he was elected as the first president of theInstitution of Civil Engineers, a post he held for 14 years until his death. The town ofTelford in Shropshire was named after him.
Telford was born on 9 August 1757, at Glendinning, ahill farm three miles (five kilometres) east ofEskdalemuir Kirk, in the ruralparish of Westerkirk, inEskdale, Dumfriesshire. His father John Telford, a shepherd, died soon after Thomas was born. Thomas was raised in poverty by his mother Janet Jackson (died 1794).[1]
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At the age of 14, he was apprenticed to a stonemason, and some of his earliest work can still be seen on the bridge across theRiver Esk inLangholm in Dumfries and Galloway. He worked for a time inEdinburgh and in 1782 he moved to London where, after meeting architectsRobert Adam and SirWilliam Chambers, he was involved in building additions toSomerset House there. Two years later he found work atPortsmouth dockyard and – although still largely self-taught – was extending his talents to the specification, design and management of building projects.
In 1787, through his wealthy patronWilliam Pulteney, he became Surveyor of Public Works in Shropshire. His projects included renovation ofShrewsbury Castle,the town's prison (during the planning of which he met leading prison reformerJohn Howard), theChurch of St Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth and another church,St Michael's, inMadeley. Called in to advise on a leaking roof atSt Chad's Church, Shrewsbury in 1788, he warned the church was in imminent danger of collapse; his reputation was made locally when it collapsed three days later, but he was not the architect for its replacement.
As the Shropshirecounty surveyor, Telford was also responsible for bridges. In 1790 he designedMontford Bridge carrying the London–Holyhead road over theRiver Severn atMontford, the first of some 40 bridges he built in Shropshire, including major crossings of the Severn atBuildwas, andBridgnorth. The bridge at Buildwas was Telford's first iron bridge. He was influenced byAbraham Darby'sbridge atIronbridge, and observed that it was grossly over-designed for its function, and many of the component parts were poorly cast. By contrast, his bridge was 30 ft (9 m) wider in span and half the weight, although it now no longer exists. He was one of the first engineers to test his materials thoroughly before construction. As his engineering prowess grew, Telford was to return to this material repeatedly.
In 1795, the bridge atBewdley in Worcestershire was swept away in the winter floods and Telford was responsible for the design ofits replacement. The same winter floods saw the bridge atTenbury also swept away. This bridge across theRiver Teme was the joint responsibility of both Worcestershire and Shropshire and the bridge has a bend where the two counties meet. Telford was responsible for the repair to the northern (Shropshire) end of the bridge.
Telford's reputation in Shropshire led to his appointment in 1793 to manage the detailed design and construction of theEllesmere Canal, linking the ironworks and collieries ofWrexham via the north-west Shropshire town ofEllesmere, withChester, utilising the existingChester Canal, and then theRiver Mersey.
Among other structures, this involved the spectacularPontcysyllte Aqueduct over theRiver Dee in the Vale ofLlangollen, where Telford used a new method of construction consisting of troughs made fromcast iron plates and fixed in masonry. Extending for over 1,000 feet (300 metres) with an altitude of 126 ft (38 m) above the valley floor, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct consists of nineteen arches, each with a 45 ft (14 m) span. Being a pioneer in the use of cast-iron for large scaled structures, Telford had to invent new techniques, such as using boiling sugar and lead as a sealant on the iron connections. Canal engineerWilliam Jessop oversaw the project but left the detailed execution of the project in Telford's hands. The aqueduct was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.[2]
The same period also saw Telford involved in the design and construction of theShrewsbury Canal. When the original engineer, Josiah Clowes, died in 1795, Telford succeeded him. One of Telford's achievements on this project was the design ofLongdon-on-Tern Aqueduct, the cast-iron aqueduct atLongdon-on-Tern, pre-dating that at Pontcysyllte, and substantially bigger than the UK's first cast-iron aqueduct, built byBenjamin Outram on theDerby Canal just months earlier. The aqueduct is no longer in use, but is preserved as a distinctive piece of canal engineering.
The Ellesmere Canal was left uncompleted in 1805 because it failed to generate the revenues needed to finance the connecting sections to Chester and Shrewbury. However, alongside his canal responsibilities, Telford's reputation as a civil engineer meant he was constantly consulted on numerous other projects. These included water supply works forLiverpool, improvements to London's docklands andthe rebuilding of London Bridge (c. 1800).
Most notably (and again William Pulteney was influential), in 1801 Telford devised a master plan to improve communications in theHighlands of Scotland, a massive project that was to last some 20 years. It included the building of theCaledonian Canal along theGreat Glen and redesign of sections of theCrinan Canal, some 920 miles (1,480 km) of new roads, over a thousand new bridges (including theCraigellachie Bridge), numerousharbour improvements (including works atAberdeen, Dundee,Peterhead,Wick,Portmahomack andBanff), and 32 new churches.
Telford also undertook highway works in the Scottish Lowlands, including 184 miles (296 km) of new roads and numerous bridges, ranging from a 112 ft (34 m) span stone bridge across theDee atTongueland inKirkcudbright (1805–06) to the 129 ft (39 m) tall Cartland Crags bridge nearLanark (1822).
In 1809, Telford was tasked with improving theHowth Road in Dublin, to connect the new harbour atHowth to the city of Dublin as part of wider plan to improve communication between Dublin and London.[3] The milestones that are a feature of this route from Howth to theGPO onO'Connell Street still mark the route.[4] He also drafted the first design of theUlster Canal.[3] Irish engineer,William Dargan, was trained by Telford.[5]
Telford was consulted in 1806 by theKing of Sweden about the construction of a canal betweenGothenburg andStockholm. His plans were adopted and construction of theGöta Canal began in 1810. Telford travelled to Sweden at that time to oversee some of the more important initial excavations.
Many of Telford's projects were undertaken due to his role as a member of theExchequer Bill Loan Commission, an organ set up under thePublic Works Loans Act 1817 (57 Geo. 3. c. 34), to help finance public work projects that would generate employment.[6]
During his later years, Telford was responsible for rebuilding sections of theLondon to Holyhead road, a task completed by his assistant of ten years,John MacNeill; today, much of the route is theA5 trunk road, although the Holyhead Road diverted off the A5 along what is now parts ofA45,A41 andA464 through the cities ofCoventry, Birmingham andWolverhampton. Between London and Shrewsbury, most of the work amounted to improvements. Beyond Shrewsbury, and especially beyond Llangollen, the work often involved building a highway from scratch. Notable features of this section of the route include theWaterloo Bridge across theRiver Conwy atBetws-y-Coed, the ascent from there toCapel Curig and then the descent from the pass ofNant Ffrancon towardsBangor. BetweenCapel Curig andBethesda, in theOgwen Valley, Telford deviated from the original road, built by Romans during their occupation of this area.
On the island ofAnglesey a newembankment across the Stanley Sands to Holyhead was constructed, but the crossing of theMenai Strait was the most formidable challenge, overcome by theMenai Suspension Bridge (1819–26). Spanning 580 feet (180 m), this was the longest suspension bridge of the time. Unlike modern suspension bridges, Telford used individually linked 9.5-foot (2.9 m) iron eye bars for the cables.
Telford also worked on the North Wales coast road between Chester and Bangor, including another majorsuspension bridge atConwy, opened later the same year as its Menai counterpart.
Further afield Telford designed a road to cross the centre of theIsle of Arran. Named the 'String road', this route traverses bleak and difficult terrain to allow traffic to cross between east and west Arran avoiding the circuitous coastal route. His work on improving the Glasgow – Carlisle road, later to become theA74, has been described as "a model for future engineers."[7]
Telford improved on methods for the building ofmacadam roads by improving the selection of stone based on thickness, taking into account traffic, alignment and slopes.[8]
The punning nickname 'Colossus of Roads' was given to Telford by his friend, the eventualPoet Laureate,Robert Southey.[9]
In 1821, he was elected a foreign member of theRoyal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
An Act of Parliament in 1823 provided a grant of £50,000 for the building of up to 40 churches and manses in communities without any church buildings (hence the alternative name: 'Parliamentary Church' or 'Parliamentary Kirk').[10] The total cost was not to exceed £1500 on any site and Telford was commissioned to undertake the design. He developed a simple church of T-shaped plan and two manse designs – a single-storey and a two-storey, adaptable to site and ground conditions, and to brick or stone construction, at £750 each. Of the 43 churches originally planned, 32 were eventually built around the Scottish highlands and islands (the other 11 were achieved by redoing existing buildings). The last of these churches was built in 1830.[11][12] Some have been restored and/or converted to private use.[13]
Other works by Telford include theSt Katharine Docks (1824–28) close toTower Bridge in central London, where he worked with the architectPhilip Hardwick, the Gloucester and Berkeley Ship Canal (today known as theGloucester and Sharpness Canal),Over Bridge near Gloucester, the secondHarecastle Tunnel on theTrent and Mersey Canal (1827), and theBirmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal (today part of theShropshire Union Canal) – started in May 1826 but finished, after Telford's death, in January 1835. At the time of its construction in 1829,Galton Bridge was the longest single span in the world. Telford surveyed and planned theMacclesfield Canal, which was completed by William Crosley (or Crossley).[14] He also builtWhitstable harbour in Kent in 1832, in connection with theCanterbury and Whitstable Railway with an unusual system for flushing out mud using a tidal reservoir. He also completed theGrand Trunk afterJames Brindley died due to being over-worked.
In 1820, Telford was appointed the first President of the recently formedInstitution of Civil Engineers, a post he held until his death.[15]
He was a founder member of Phoenix Lodge, No. 257 (in Portsmouth). Telford designed a room within the George Inn for the lodge.[16] In 1786 he became an affiliate member of Salopian Lodge, No. 262 (Shrewsbury, England).[17]
Telford's young draughtsman and clerk 1830–34George Turnbull in his diary states:
On the 23rd [August 1834]Mr Telford was taken seriously ill of a bilious derangement to which he had been liable ... he grew worse and worse … [surgeons]attended him twice a day, but it was to no avail for he died on the 2nd September, very peacefully at about 5pm. … His old servant James Handscombe and I were the only two in the house [24 Abingdon Street, London]when he died. He was never married. MrMilne and MrRickman were, no doubt, Telford's most intimate friends. ... I went to Mr Milne and under his direction … made all the arrangements about the house and correspondence. ... Telford had no blood relations that we knew of. The funeral took place on the 10th September [inWestminster Abbey]. ... Mr Telford was of the most genial disposition and a delightful companion, his laugh was the heartiest I ever heard; it was a pleasure to be in his society.[18][19]
Thomas Telford was buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey; a statue was erected to him nearby, in St Andrew's Chapel adjoining the north transept.[20]
Throughout his life Telford had a great affection for his birthplace of Eskdale and its people and in his will left legacies to the two local libraries at Westerkirk and Langholm.[21]
In 2011 he was one of seven inaugural inductees to theScottish Engineering Hall of Fame.[22]
Telford's reputation as a man of letters may have preceded his fame as an engineer: he had published poetry between 1779 and 1784, and an account of a tour of Scotland with Robert Southey. His will left bequests to Southey (who would later write Telford's biography), the poetThomas Campbell (1777–1844) and to the publishers of theEdinburgh Encyclopædia (to which he had been a contributor).[9]
George Turnbull states that Telford wrote and gave him a poem:[23][24]
On reading an account of the death ofROBERT BURNS, the SCOT POET
CLAD in the sable weeds of woe,
The Scottish genius mourns,
As o'er your tomb her sorrows flow,
The "narrow house" of Burns.'
Each laurel round his humble urn,
She strews with pious care,
And by soft airs to distance borne,
These accents strike the ear.
Farewell my lov'd, my favourite child,
A mother's pride farewell!
The muses on thy cradle smiled,
Ah! now they ring thy knell.
---- ten verses and then ----
And round the tomb the plough shall pass,
And yellow autumn smile;
And village maids shall seek the place,
To crown thy hallowed pile.
While yearly comes the opening spring,
While autumn wan returns;
Each rural voice shall grateful sing,
And SCOTLAND boasts of BURNS.
22nd August, 1796. T.T.
(Turnbull includes notes that explain nine references to Burns's life in the poem.)
His ability and perseverance may be understood from various literary compositions of after life, such as the articles he contributed to theEdinburgh Encyclopædia, such as Architecture, Bridge-building, and Canal-making. Singular to say the earliest distinction he acquired in life was as a poet. Even at 30 years of age he reprinted at Shrewsbury a poem called "Eskdale", … Some others of his poems are in my possession.
Another example, later in Telford's life, wasTo SirJohn Malcolm on Receiving His Miscellaneous Poems (1831).[26]
Telford designed many bridges and aqueducts during his career. They include:[27]
| Year | Name / Location |
|---|---|
| London Bridge proposal | |
| Potarch Bridge | |
| 1792 | Montford Bridge |
| 1796 | Buildwas Bridge |
| 1796 | Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct |
| 1797 | Coundarbour Bridge |
| 1798 | Bewdley Bridge |
| 1801 | Chirk Aqueduct |
| 1805 | Pontcysyllte Aqueduct |
| 1806 | Glen Loy Aqueduct,Caledonian Canal |
| 1808 | Tongland Bridge |
| 1809 | Dunkeld Bridge |
| 1810 | Bridgnorth bridge |
| 1811 | Helmsdale bridge |
| 1812 | Bonar Bridge |
| 1813 | Telford Bridge, Invermoriston |
| 1815 | Craigellachie Bridge |
| 1815 | Dunans Bridge |
| 1815 | Waterloo Bridge, Betws-y-Coed |
| 1818 | Sligachan Old Bridge |
| 1819 | Bannockburn Bridge |
| 1820 | Cantlop Bridge |
| 1823 | Stanley Embankment |
| 1824 | Eaton Hall Bridge |
| 1826 | Conwy Suspension Bridge |
| 1826 | Menai Suspension Bridge |
| 1826 | Mythe Bridge |
| 1827 | Holt Fleet Bridge |
| 1827 | Over Bridge |
| 1827 | Bridge of Keig[28] |
| 1829 | Galton Bridge |
| 1831 | Dean Bridge, Edinburgh |
| 1831 | Lothian Bridge, Pathhead |
| 1832 | Broomielaw Bridge, Glasgow[a] |
Telford is commemorated in the names of many sites:
Telford's autobiography, titledThe Life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer, written by himself, was published posthumously in 1838.[29][37]
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| Professional and academic associations | ||
|---|---|---|
| New creation | President of theInstitution of Civil Engineers March 1820 – September 1834 | Succeeded by |
