Telford, Thomas (1757-1834)

Scottish civil engineer who opened up N Scotland by building roads and waterways. He constructed many aqueducts and canals, including the Caledonian canal 1802-23, and erected the Menai road suspension bridge 1819-26, a type of structure scarcely tried previously in England. In Scotland he constructed over 1,600 km/1,000 mi of road and 1,200 bridges, churches, and harbours. In 1963 the new town of Telford, Shropshire, 32 km/20 mi NW of Birmingham, was named after him. Telford was born in Westerkirk, Dumfries, and began as a stonemason. Moving to London, he found employment building additions to Somerset House in the Strand under the supervision of architect William Chambers. Recognizing his talents, the rich and famous were soon consulting him about their own buildings. In 1786, Telford was appointed official surveyor to the county of Shropshire. There he built three bridges over the river Severn, among other structures. He also rebuilt many Roman roads to meet the need for faster travel. As engineer to the Ellesmere Canal Company from 1793, Telford was responsible for the building of aqueducts over the Ceirog and Dee valleys in Wales, using a new method of construction consisting of troughs made from cast-iron plates and fixed in masonry.