Editing Thomas Telford

{{Short description|Scottish civil engineer (1757–1834)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox engineer
|image                = ThomasTelford.jpg
|caption              =
|honorific_suffix     = {{post-nominals|FRS|FRSE|size=100%}}
|birth_date           = {{birth date|df=yes|1757|8|9}}
|birth_place          = Glendinning, Westerkirk, [[Eskdale, Dumfries and Galloway|Eskdale]], Dumfriesshire, Scotland
|death_date           = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1834|9|2|1757|8|9}}
|death_place          = [[Westminster]], London, England
|children             =
|discipline           = [[Civil engineering|Civil]]
|institutions         = Founder and first President of the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]] (1818)
|practice_name        =
|significant_projects = {{hlist|[[Caledonian Canal]]|[[Göta Canal]]|[[Ellesmere Canal]]|[[Pontcysyllte Aqueduct]]|[[Shrewsbury Canal]]|[[Menai suspension bridge]]|[[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5 road]]}}
|significant_design   =
|significant_awards   =
}}

'''Thomas Telford''' {{post-nominals|FRS|FRSE}} (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in [[Shropshire]], 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 the [[Colossus 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 the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]], a post he held for 14 years until his death.

The town of [[Telford]] in Shropshire was named after him.

==Early career==
Telford was born on 9 August 1757, at Glendinning, a [[hill farm]] {{convert|3|mi|km|0|abbr=off|spell=on}} east of [[Eskdalemuir Kirk]], in the rural [[List of Church of Scotland parishes|parish]] of Westerkirk, in [[Eskdale, Dumfries and Galloway|Eskdale, 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).<ref name="Waterston">{{cite book
 |last1       = Waterston
 |first1      = Charles D
 |last2       = Macmillan Shearer
 |first2      = A
 |title       = Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002: Biographical Index
 |url         = http://www.rse.org.uk/fellowship/fells_indexp2.pdf
 |access-date  = 25 September 2010
|volume      = II
 |date        = July 2006
 |publisher   = [[The Royal Society of Edinburgh]]
 |location    = Edinburgh
 |isbn        = 978-0-902198-84-5
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20061004113303/http://www.rse.org.uk/fellowship/fells_indexp2.pdf
 |archive-date = 4 October 2006}}</ref>
[[File:Portrait of Thos. Telford (4672707).jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait and signature of Thomas Telford]]

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 the [[River Esk, Dumfriesshire|River Esk]] in [[Langholm]] in Dumfries and Galloway. He worked for a time in [[Edinburgh]] and in 1782 he moved to London where, after meeting architects [[Robert Adam]] and Sir [[William Chambers (architect)|William Chambers]], he was involved in building additions to [[Somerset House]] there. Two years later he found work at [[HMNB Portsmouth|Portsmouth 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 patron [[Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet|William Pulteney]], he became Surveyor of Public Works in Shropshire. His projects included renovation of [[Shrewsbury Castle]], [[HM Prison Shrewsbury|the town's prison]] (during the planning of which he met leading prison reformer [[John Howard (prison reformer)|John Howard]]), the [[Church of St Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth]] and another church, [[St Michael's Church, Madeley|St Michael's]], in [[Madeley (Shropshire)|Madeley]]. Called in to advise on a leaking roof at [[St 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 Shropshire [[county surveyor]], Telford was also responsible for bridges. In 1790 he designed [[Montford Bridge]] carrying the London–[[Holyhead]] road over the [[River Severn]] at [[Montford, Shropshire|Montford]], the first of some 40 bridges he built in Shropshire, including major crossings of the Severn at [[Buildwas]], and [[Bridgnorth]]. The bridge at Buildwas was Telford's first iron bridge. He was influenced by [[Abraham Darby III|Abraham Darby's]] [[The Iron Bridge|bridge]] at [[Ironbridge]], 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 {{convert|30|ft|m|abbr=on|0}} 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 at [[Bewdley]] in Worcestershire was swept away in the winter floods and Telford was responsible for the design of [[Bewdley Bridge|its replacement]]. The same winter floods saw the bridge at [[Tenbury]] also swept away. This bridge across the [[River 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.

==Ellesmere Canal==
Telford's reputation in Shropshire led to his appointment in 1793 to manage the detailed design and construction of the [[Ellesmere Canal]], linking the ironworks and collieries of [[Wrexham]] via the north-west Shropshire town of [[Ellesmere, England|Ellesmere]], with [[Chester]], utilising the existing [[Chester Canal]], and then the [[River Mersey]].

[[File:pontcysyllte aqueduct arp.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|A canal boat traverses the [[Pontcysyllte Aqueduct|Pontcysyllte aqueduct]] in North Wales]]

Among other structures, this involved the spectacular [[Pontcysyllte Aqueduct]] over the [[River Dee, Wales|River Dee]] in the Vale of [[Llangollen]], where Telford used a new method of construction consisting of troughs made from [[cast iron]] plates and fixed in masonry. Extending for over {{convert|1000|ft|m|abbr=off}} with an altitude of {{convert|126|ft|m|abbr=on}} above the valley floor, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct consists of nineteen arches, each with a {{convert|45|ft|m|abbr=on}} 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 engineer [[William 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.<ref name="UNESCO-Pontcysyllte">{{cite web|title=Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1303|website=UNESCO – World Heritage List|publisher=UNESCO|access-date=17 January 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Longden-on-Tern1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|[[Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct]] in Shropshire]]

The same period also saw Telford involved in the design and construction of the [[Shrewsbury Canal]]. When the original engineer, Josiah Clowes, died in 1795, Telford succeeded him. One of Telford's achievements on this project was the design of [[Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct]], the cast-iron aqueduct at [[Longdon-on-Tern]], pre-dating that at Pontcysyllte, and substantially bigger than the UK's first cast-iron aqueduct, built by [[Benjamin Outram]] on the [[Derby 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 for [[Liverpool]], improvements to London's docklands and [[London Bridge#.22New.22 .2819th-century.29 London Bridge|the 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 the [[Highlands of Scotland]], a massive project that was to last some 20 years. It included the building of the [[Caledonian Canal]] along the [[Great Glen]] and redesign of sections of the [[Crinan Canal]], some {{convert|920|mi|km}} of new roads, over a thousand new bridges (including the [[Craigellachie Bridge]]), numerous [[harbour]] improvements (including works at [[Aberdeen Harbour|Aberdeen]], Dundee, [[Peterhead]], [[Wick, Highland|Wick]], [[Portmahomack]] and [[Banff, Aberdeenshire|Banff]]), and 32 new churches.

Telford also undertook highway works in the Scottish Lowlands, including {{convert|184|mi|km}} of new roads and numerous bridges, ranging from a 112&nbsp;ft (34&nbsp;m) span stone bridge across the [[River Dee, Galloway|Dee]] at [[Tongueland]] in [[Kirkcudbright]] (1805–06) to the 129&nbsp;ft (39&nbsp;m) tall Cartland Crags bridge near [[Lanark]] (1822).

In 1809, Telford was tasked with improving the [[Howth Road]] in Dublin, to connect the new harbour at [[Howth]] to the city of Dublin as part of wider plan to improve communication between Dublin and London.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Telford, Thomas |url=https://www.dia.ie/architects/view/5291/telford-thomas# |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=Dictionary of Irish Architects}}</ref> The milestones that are a feature of this route from Howth to the [[General Post Office, Dublin|GPO]] on [[O'Connell Street]] still mark the route.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Howth Road, Dublin 3 |url=https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/50030295/howth-road-dublin-3-dublin |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=National Inventory of Architectural Heritage |language=en-ie}}</ref> He also drafted the first design of the [[Ulster Canal]].<ref name=":0" /> Irish engineer, [[William Dargan]], was trained by Telford.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mulligan |first=Fergus |date=29 May 2013 |title=The genius who put Ireland on rails |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/the-genius-who-put-ireland-on-rails-1.1408976 |access-date=24 October 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref>

Telford was consulted in 1806 by the [[Gustaf IV Adolf of Sweden|King of Sweden]] about the construction of a canal between [[Gothenburg]] and [[Stockholm]]. His plans were adopted and construction of the [[Göta 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 the [[Exchequer Bill Loan Commission]], an organ set up under the [[Public Works Loans Act 1817]] ([[57 Geo. 3]]. c. 34), to help finance public work projects that would generate employment.<ref name="engineering-timelines">{{cite web|url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/who/Telford_T/telfordThomas6.asp|title=Engineering Timelines – Thomas Telford|publisher=engineering-timelines.com|access-date=26 September 2014}}</ref>

==The 'Colossus of Roads'==
[[File:Menai Suspension Bridge.jpg|thumbnail|right|[[Menai Suspension Bridge]]]]

During his later years, Telford was responsible for rebuilding sections of the [[Watling Street|London to Holyhead road]], a task completed by his assistant of ten years, [[John Benjamin Macneill|John MacNeill]]; today, much of the route is the [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]] trunk road, although the Holyhead Road diverted off the A5 along what is now parts of [[A45 road|A45]], [[A41 road|A41]] and [[A464 road|A464]] through the cities of [[Coventry]], Birmingham and [[Wolverhampton]]. 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 the
[[Waterloo Bridge, Betws-y-Coed|Waterloo Bridge]] across the [[River Conwy]] at [[Betws-y-Coed]], the ascent from there to [[Capel Curig]] and then the descent from the pass of [[Nant Ffrancon]] towards [[Bangor, Gwynedd|Bangor]]. Between [[Capel Curig]] and [[Bethesda, Wales|Bethesda]], in the [[Ogwen Valley]], Telford deviated from the original road, built by Romans during their occupation of this area.

On the island of [[Anglesey]] a new [[Stanley Embankment|embankment]] across the Stanley Sands to Holyhead was constructed, but the crossing of the [[Menai Strait]] was the most formidable challenge, overcome by the [[Menai Suspension Bridge]] (1819–26). Spanning {{convert|580|ft|m}}, this was the longest suspension bridge of the time. Unlike modern suspension bridges, Telford used individually linked {{convert|9.5|ft|m|adj=on}} iron eye bars for the cables.
[[File:Galton Bridge Smethwick Drawing.JPG|thumbnail|left|[[Galton Bridge]]]]

Telford also worked on the North Wales coast road between Chester and Bangor, including another major [[Conwy Suspension Bridge|suspension bridge]] at [[Conwy]], opened later the same year as its Menai counterpart.

Further afield Telford designed a road to cross the centre of the [[Isle 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 the [[A74 road|A74]], has been described as "a model for future engineers."<ref name="mort">{{cite book
  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NbtPffOCcZcC&pg=PA133 
  |title=Lanarkshire: Cambridge County Geographies
  |last=Mort
  |first=Frederick
  |publisher=Cambridge University Press
  |year=2012
  |isbn=9781107616707
  |page=133}}</ref>

Telford improved on methods for the building of [[macadam]] roads by improving the selection of stone based on thickness, taking into account traffic, alignment and slopes.<ref>{{cite web
  | first= Mary
  | last=Bellis
  | title =Thomas Telford
  | work =About: inventors
  | publisher =About, Inc, [[New York Times]]
  | year =2007
  | url =http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventors/a/Thomas_Telford.htm
  | archive-url =https://archive.today/20120630042714/http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventors/a/Thomas_Telford.htm
  | url-status =dead
  | archive-date =30 June 2012
  | access-date =19 January 2007 }}</ref>

The punning nickname 'Colossus of Roads' was given to Telford by his friend, the eventual [[Poet Laureate]], [[Robert Southey]].<ref name=testament>{{cite web
  | title =Colossus of Roads?
  | work =Feature on Telford's testament
  | publisher =[[National Archives of Scotland]]
  | year =2007
  | url =http://www.nas.gov.uk/about/070806.asp
  | access-date =21 August 2007 }}</ref>

In 1821, he was elected a foreign member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]].

==The 'Telford Church'==
[[File:Telfordchurchulva.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A 'Telford church' on [[Ulva]] (1827/8) in the [[Inner Hebrides]]]]

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').<ref>{{cite journal |journal=The Edinburgh Review |volume=70 |pages=25 |date=October 1839 }}</ref> 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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121020151435/http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/images/l/DP016489/ Telford Church Design]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Thomas-Telfords-Parliamentary-Kirks |title= Thomas Telford's Parliamentary Kirks |author= Anne Burgess |publisher= [[Geograph Britain and Ireland]] |id= licence: cc |date= March 2014 |access-date= 5 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170305200058/http://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Thomas-Telfords-Parliamentary-Kirks |archive-date= 5 March 2017 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Some have been restored and/or converted to private use.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.rias.org.uk/awards/rias-awards/rias-awards-2013/ |title= RIAS Awards 2013 |work= The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland |access-date= 5 March 2017}}</ref><!-- [[RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award]] -->

==Late career==
Other works by Telford include the [[St Katharine Docks]] (1824–28) close to [[Tower Bridge]] in central London, where he worked with the architect [[Philip Hardwick]], the Gloucester and Berkeley Ship Canal (today known as the [[Gloucester and Sharpness Canal]]), [[Over Bridge]] near Gloucester, the second [[Harecastle Tunnel#Telford Tunnel|Harecastle Tunnel]] on the [[Trent and Mersey Canal]] (1827), and the [[Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal]] (today part of the [[Shropshire 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 the [[Macclesfield Canal]], which was completed by William Crosley (or Crossley).<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of the Macclesfield Canal|url=http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/macclesfield/mac2.htm#:~:text=Canal-,History%20of%20the%20Macclesfield%20Canal,high%20moorland%20to%20the%20east.|access-date=17 July 2020|website=www.penninewaterways.co.uk}}</ref> He also built [[Whitstable]] harbour in Kent in 1832, in connection with the [[Canterbury and Whitstable Railway]] with an unusual system for flushing out mud using a tidal reservoir. He also completed the ''[[Trent and Mersey Canal|Grand Trunk]]'' after [[James Brindley]] died due to being over-worked.

In 1820, Telford was appointed the first President of the recently formed [[Institution of Civil Engineers]], a post he held until his death.<ref name="Civils">
{{Cite book  | first = Garth | last = Watson| title = The Civils | publisher = London: Thomas Telford Ltd | page = 251
| year = 1988 | isbn = 0-7277-0392-7  }}</ref>

==Freemasonry==
He was Initiated into Freemasonry in Antiquity Lodge, No. 26, ([[Portsmouth]], England) in 1770.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} This lodge no longer exists. He was a founder member of Phoenix Lodge, No. 257 (also in Portsmouth). Telford designed a room within the George Inn for the lodge.<ref name="Glover">{{cite book |last1=Glover |first1=Julian |title=Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain |date=2017 |isbn=9781408837467 |page=58|publisher=Bloomsbury USA }}</ref> In 1786 he became an affiliate member of Salopian Lodge, No. 262 (Shrewsbury, England).<ref>Famous Scottish Freemasons. The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland. 2010. p. 71. {{ISBN|978-0-9560933-8-7}}</ref>

==Telford's death==
Telford's young draughtsman and clerk 1830–34 [[George Turnbull (civil engineer)|George Turnbull]] in his diary states:

<blockquote>''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. Mr [[Alexander Milne (civil servant)|Milne]] and Mr [[John Rickman (parliamentary official)|Rickman]] 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 [in [[Westminster 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.''<ref name="ReferenceA">Diaries of George Turnbull (Chief Engineer, [[East Indian Railway Company]]) held at the [[Centre of South Asian Studies]] at [[Cambridge University]], England</ref><ref>Pages 15 to 18 of ''George Turnbull, C.E.'' the 437-page memoirs published privately 1893: scanned copy held in the British Library, London on compact disk since 2007</ref></blockquote>

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.<ref>'The Abbey Scientists' Hall, A.R. p. 41: London; Roger & Robert Nicholson; 1966</ref>

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.<ref>[http://www.langholm-online.co.uk/pages/content.asp?pageid=514 "Thomas Telford 1757–1854" in Langholm Online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514064714/https://www.langholm-online.co.uk/pages/content.asp?pageid=514 |date=14 May 2018 }}, retrieved 12 May 2018</ref>

==Honours==
[[File:Thomas Telford Plaque.jpg|thumb|Plaque to Telford at the corner of Bayside and the Coast Road, Dublin]]

In 2011 he was one of seven inaugural inductees to the [[Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://engineeringhalloffame.org/inductees/2011 |title=Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame |work=engineeringhalloffame.org |year=2012 |access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref>

==Telford the poet==
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 poet [[Thomas Campbell (poet)|Thomas Campbell]] (1777–1844) and to the publishers of the ''[[Edinburgh Encyclopædia]]'' (to which he had been a contributor).<ref name=testament/>

[[George Turnbull (civil engineer)|George Turnbull]] states that Telford wrote and gave him a poem:<ref>Diaries of [[George Turnbull (civil engineer)|George Turnbull]] (Chief Engineer, [[East Indian Railway Company]]) held at the [[Centre of South Asian Studies]] at [[Cambridge University]], England</ref><ref>Pages 19 to 21 of ''George Turnbull, C.E.'' the 437-page memoirs published privately 1893: scanned copy held in the British Library, London on compact disk since 2007</ref>

{{poemquote|
''On reading an account of the death of [[Robert Burns|ROBERT 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.)

Turnbull also states:<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref>Page 18 of ''George Turnbull, C.E.'' the 437-page memoirs published privately 1893: scanned copy held in the British Library, London on compact disk since 2007</ref>

<blockquote>His ability and perseverance may be understood from various literary compositions of after life, such as the articles he contributed to the ''[[Edinburgh 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.</blockquote>

Another example, later in Telford's life, was ''To Sir [[John Malcolm]] on Receiving His Miscellaneous Poems'' (1831).<ref>{{cite book|last=Dickins|first=Gordon|title=An Illustrated Literary Guide to Shropshire|year=1987|publisher=Shropshire Libraries, Shrewsbury|pages=71–72|isbn=0-903802-37-6}}Malcolm (1769-1833) was of an Eskdale family like Telford.</ref>

== Bridges designed by Telford ==
<!--Linked from [[Telford Bridge]]-->
[[File:Thomas Telford's Lothian Bridge, Pathhead, Midlothian.JPG|thumb|280px|Telford's [[Lothian Bridge]] (1831) on the present-day [[A68 road|A68]]]]
[[File:Sketch of Telfords iron hanging Bridge across the Menai.jpg|thumb|280px|An early proposal for Telford's [[Menai Suspension Bridge]]]]

Telford designed many bridges and aqueducts during his career. They include:<ref>[http://www.structurae.de Structurae: International Database and Gallery of Structures], retrieved 27 May 2009.</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Name{{\}}Location </tr>

|      || [[London Bridge]] proposal </tr>
|      || [[Potarch]] Bridge </tr>
| 1792 || [[Montford Bridge]] </tr>
| 1796 || [[Buildwas Bridge]] </tr>
| 1796 || [[Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct]] </tr>
| 1797 || [[Cound#Iron bridges|Coundarbour Bridge]] </tr>
| 1798 || [[Bewdley Bridge]] </tr>
| 1801 || [[Chirk Aqueduct]] </tr>
| 1805 || [[Pontcysyllte Aqueduct]] </tr>
| 1806 || Glen Loy Aqueduct, [[Caledonian Canal]] </tr>
| 1808 || [[Tongland]] Bridge </tr>
| 1809 || [[Dunkeld Bridge]] </tr>
| 1810 || [[Bridgnorth]] bridge </tr>
| 1811 || [[Helmsdale]] bridge </tr>
| 1812 || [[Bonar Bridge#First Bridge|Bonar Bridge]] </tr>
| 1813 || [[Invermoriston|Telford Bridge, Invermoriston]] </tr>
| 1815 || [[Craigellachie Bridge]] </tr>
| 1815 || [[Dunans Bridge]] </tr>
| 1815 || [[Waterloo Bridge, Betws-y-Coed]] </tr>
| 1818 || [[Sligachan]] Old Bridge </tr>
| 1819 || [[Bannockburn]] Bridge </tr>
| 1820 || [[Cantlop Bridge]] </tr>
| 1823 || [[Stanley Embankment]] </tr>
| 1824 || [[Aldford Iron Bridge|Eaton Hall Bridge]] </tr>
| 1826 || [[Conwy Suspension Bridge]] </tr>
| 1826 || [[Menai Suspension Bridge]] </tr>
| 1826 || [[Mythe Bridge]] </tr>
<!--No bridge/s?: | 1827 || [[Harecastle Tunnel#Telford Tunnel|Harecastle Tunnel]] </tr>-->
| 1827 || [[Holt Fleet Bridge]] </tr>
| 1827 || [[Over Bridge]] </tr>
| 1827 || [[Keig|Bridge of Keig]]<ref name="pressandjournal">{{cite web|url=http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1605162 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320072217/http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1605162 |archive-date=20 March 2012 |url-status=dead |title=Press and Journal – Article – Bridge of Keig closes amid fears|access-date=26 September 2014}}</ref> </tr>
| 1829 || [[Galton Bridge]] </tr>
| 1831 || [[Dean Bridge]], Edinburgh </tr>
| 1831 || [[Lothian Bridge]], Pathhead </tr>
|-
|1832
|[[Glasgow Bridge, Glasgow|Broomielaw Bridge, Glasgow]]{{efn|The bridge was completed 1836; construction had begun March 1833, but the design and contract specification had been signed off by Telford in November 1832<ref name="Telford1838" />{{rp|507–525}}}}
|}

==Places named after Telford==
[[File:ThomasTelfordstatue.jpg|thumb|right|Statue of Thomas Telford outside the law courts in [[Telford]], Shropshire]]

Telford is commemorated in the names of many sites:

* [[Telford]] New Town;
* [[Thomas Telford School]];<ref>{{cite news|title = GCSE: Top comprehensive schools|newspaper = Times Online|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,10302,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070310210359/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,10302,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 March 2007|access-date = 25 January 2010|first=David|last=Robertson}}</ref>
* Thomas Telford Road, Langholm, where Telford was an apprentice in his early years;
* Telford Hall, a hall of residence at [[Loughborough University]]. A plaque in his honour hangs in the hall's common room;<ref>{{Cite web|title=Telford {{!}} Accommodation {{!}} Loughborough University|url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/accommodation/halls/telford/|access-date=14 February 2022|website=www.lboro.ac.uk}}</ref>
* Telford, Pennsylvania, the Borough of County Line in [[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]] changed its name to [[Telford, Pennsylvania|Telford]] in 1857, after the [[North Pennsylvania Railroad]] Company named its new station there "Telford" in honour of Thomas Telford;<ref>{{Cite web|title=TELFORD GOT ITS NAME FROM THE RAILROAD AFTER STATION BUILT|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1985-05-06-2473276-story.html|access-date=14 February 2022|website=The Morning Call|date=6 May 1985 |language=en}}</ref>
* Telford College, Shropshire;<ref>[https://www.telfordcollege.ac.uk Telford College, Telford, Shropshire]</ref>
* Telford Bridge (footbridge), in 2008, a footbridge was erected over the [[Shubenacadie Canal]] in [[Dartmouth, Nova Scotia]] and named for Telford, who made important contributions to the nineteenth-century Canadian canal;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tattrie|first1=Jon|title=Shubenacadie Canal bridge underway|access-date=28 October 2014|url=http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/75793/shubenacadie-canal-bridge-underway/|work=Metro News|publisher=Free Daily News Group Inc.|date=17 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029024139/http://metronews.ca/news/halifax/75793/shubenacadie-canal-bridge-underway/|archive-date=29 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Waterfront development Corporation [http://my-waterfront.ca/development/telford-bridge-dartmouth/?format=pdf TELFORD BRIDGE (DARTMOUTH)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028234450/http://my-waterfront.ca/development/telford-bridge-dartmouth/?format=pdf |date=28 October 2014 }}, Press Release n.d., [about 2008]</ref>
* Thomas Telford Basin, part of a residential development on the [[Ashton Canal]] in Manchester.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/11955-please-click-here-to-see-our-recommended-mooring-sites-in-manchester.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/11955-please-click-here-to-see-our-recommended-mooring-sites-in-manchester.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2022 |url-status=live|title=Mooring sites in Manchester|publisher=[[Canal & River Trust]]|access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref>

==Autobiography==
Telford's autobiography, titled ''The Life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer, written by himself'', was published posthumously in 1838.<ref name="Telford1838">{{cite book
  | title = Life of Thomas Telford, civil engineer, written by himself, containing a descriptive narrative of his professional labours, with a folio atlas of copper plates
  | last = Telford
  | first = Thomas
  | editor-first = Rickman
  | editor-last = John
  | year = 1838
  | location = London
  | publisher = J. and L.G. Hansard and Sons, sold by Payne and Foss
}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Life of Thomas Telford, civil engineer, written by himself: containing a descriptive narrative of his professional labours : with a folio atlas of copper plates|last1=Telford|first1=Thomas|last2=Rickman|first2=John|date=1838|publisher=Printed by James and Luke G. Hansard and Sons ... and sold by Payne & Foss ...|location=London|language=en|oclc=271476168}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
*''[https://archive.org/details/thelifeofthomast00939gut The Life of Thomas Telford; civil engineer with an introductory history of roads and travelling in Great Britain]'' Samuel Smiles (1867)
*''Thomas Telford'' [[L. T. C. Rolt]], Longmans (1958)
*''Thomas Telford'', Penguin (1979), {{ISBN|0-14-022064-X}}
*''Thomas Telford, Engineer'', Thomas Telford Ltd (1980), {{ISBN|0-7277-0084-7}}
*''Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain,'' [[Julian Glover (journalist)|Julian Glover]], Bloomsbury Publishing (2017), {{ISBN|9781408837467}}

==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom|Transport}}
*[[:Category:Works of Thomas Telford|Works of Thomas Telford]]
*[[Telford Medal]]

=== People acquainted with Thomas Telford ===
* [[Charles Atherton (civil engineer)|Charles Atherton]], fellow civil engineer 
* [[Hugh Baird (engineer)]], fellow civil engineer
* [[Hamilton Fulton]], fellow civil engineer
* [[John Gibb (engineer)]], fellow civil engineer
* [[William Hazledine]], supplied ironwork for many projects of Thomas Telford
* [[William Jessop]], fellow civil engineer
* [[John Benjamin Macneill]], fellow civil engineer
* [[Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet]], patron of Thomas Telford
* [[William Reynolds (industrialist)]], constructed [[Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct]] for Telford
* [[George Turnbull (civil engineer)]], fellow civil engineer

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
*[http://www.menaibridges.co.uk Menai Heritage] A community project and museum telling the story of Thomas Telford's Menai Suspension bridge
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060308154827/http://www.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/home.stm Revolutionary Players website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060926225632/http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/hst/biography/TheLifeofThomasTelford/toc.html The Life of Thomas Telford]
*{{YouTube|Y7_gZSlss9M|Avon Aqueduct near Linlithgow, Scotland}}
*{{Structurae person|id=d000038|name=Thomas Telford (1757–1834)}}
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Telford, Thomas |short=x}}

        {{s-start}}
        {{s-npo|pro}}
        {{s-new|creation}}
        {{s-ttl|title=[[List of Presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers|President]] of the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]]
        |years=March 1820 – September 1834}}
        {{s-aft|after=[[James Walker (engineer)|James Walker]]}}
        {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Telford, Thomas}}
[[Category:1757 births]]
[[Category:1834 deaths]]
[[Category:British bridge engineers]]
[[Category:Scottish architects]]
[[Category:Scottish civil engineers]]
[[Category:Scottish philanthropists]]
[[Category:Scottish stonemasons]]
[[Category:19th-century Scottish autobiographers]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:People from Dumfries and Galloway]]
[[Category:People of the Industrial Revolution]]
[[Category:Burials at Westminster Abbey]]
[[Category:British canal engineers]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers]]
[[Category:Harbour engineers]]
[[Category:Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame inductees]]