Thomas Telford FRS FRSE was born on August 9, 1757, and died on September 2, 1834. He was a Scottish civil engineer who became known for designing roads and canals in Shropshire. Later, he created many infrastructure projects in Scotland, including harbors and tunnels. Because he designed so many highways and bridges, he was called the "Colossus of Roads," a name that plays on the famous "Colossus of Rhodes." His expertise in civil engineering led to his election as the first president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a position he held for 14 years until his death. A town in Shropshire, called Telford, was named in his honor.
Early career
Thomas Telford was born on August 9, 1757, at Glendinning, a hill farm three miles east of Eskdalemuir Kirk in the rural parish of Westerkirk, in Eskdale, Dumfriesshire. His father, John Telford, who was a shepherd, died shortly after Thomas was born. Thomas was raised in poverty by his mother, Janet Jackson, who died in 1794.
At the age of 14, Thomas became an apprentice to a stonemason. Some of his earliest work can still be seen on the bridge across the River Esk in Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway. He worked in Edinburgh for a while and moved to London in 1782. After meeting architects Robert Adam and Sir William Chambers, he helped build additions to Somerset House in London. Two years later, he worked at Portsmouth dockyard. Though still mostly self-taught, he began taking on more responsibilities in planning, designing, and managing building projects.
In 1787, through his wealthy patron William Pulteney, Thomas became Surveyor of Public Works in Shropshire. His projects included repairing Shrewsbury Castle, the town’s prison (where he met John Howard, a prison reformer), and churches such as St. Mary Magdalene in Bridgnorth and St. Michael’s in Madeley. In 1788, he was asked to examine a leaking roof at St. Chad’s Church in Shrewsbury. He warned that the church was about to collapse. Three days later, it did collapse, which made him famous in the area. However, he was not the architect for the new church built afterward.
As the Shropshire county surveyor, Telford also designed many bridges. In 1790, he built Montford Bridge, which carried the London–Holyhead road over the River Severn. This was the first of about 40 bridges he constructed in Shropshire, including major crossings over the Severn at Buildwas and Bridgnorth. The Buildwas Bridge was Telford’s first iron bridge. He was inspired by Abraham Darby’s Ironbridge but noticed that it was too large for its purpose and had poorly made parts. Telford’s bridge was 30 feet (about 9 meters) wider and half the weight, though it no longer exists. He was one of the first engineers
Ellesmere Canal
In 1793, Telford was chosen to design and build the Ellesmere Canal in Shropshire. This canal connected ironworks and coal mines in Wrexham to Chester through the town of Ellesmere, using the existing Chester Canal and the River Mersey.
As part of this project, Telford oversaw the construction of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct over the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen. This aqueduct was built using a new method that involved cast iron plates fixed into masonry. It is 1,000 feet long and 126 feet high above the valley floor, with nineteen arches, each spanning 45 feet. Telford invented techniques, such as using boiling sugar and lead to seal the iron connections. William Jessop, another engineer, managed the project but allowed Telford to handle the details. The aqueduct was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009.
Around the same time, Telford worked on the Shrewsbury Canal. After the original engineer, Josiah Clowes, died in 1795, Telford took over the project. One of his achievements was designing the Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct, a cast-iron structure that was larger than the first cast-iron aqueduct in the UK, built by Benjamin Outram on the Derby Canal. This aqueduct is no longer used but remains preserved as an example of early canal engineering.
The Ellesmere Canal was not completed by 1805 because it did not earn enough money to fund its connections to Chester and Shrewsbury. Despite this, Telford’s reputation as a civil engineer led to his involvement in other projects, including water supply systems in Liverpool, improvements to London’s docklands, and the rebuilding of London Bridge around 1800.
In 1801, Telford created a plan to improve transportation in the Highlands of Scotland. This long-term project, lasting about 20 years, included building the Caledonian Canal along the Great Glen, redesigning parts of the Crinan Canal, constructing 920 miles of new roads, building over 1,000 bridges (including the Craigellachie Bridge), improving harbors in cities like Aberdeen and Dundee, and building 32 new churches.
Telford also worked on road and bridge projects in the Scottish Lowlands, including 184 miles of new roads and bridges such as a 112-foot stone bridge over the Dee at Tongueland and a 129-foot Cartland Crags bridge near Lanark.
In 1809, Telford was asked to improve the Howth Road in Dublin, connecting the new Howth Harbor to the city as part of a plan to improve communication between Dublin and London. Milestones along this route from Howth to the GPO on O’Connell Street still mark its path. He also designed the first plan for the Ulster Canal. The Irish engineer William Dargan was trained by Telford.
In 1806, the King of Sweden asked Telford for help designing a canal between Gothenburg and Stockholm. His plans were used, and construction of the Göta Canal began in 1810. Telford traveled to Sweden to oversee early parts of the project.
Many of Telford’s projects were supported by his role in the Exchequer Bill Loan Commission, a group created under the Public Works Loans Act of 1817 to fund public works that would create jobs.
The 'Colossus of Roads'
In his later years, Telford helped rebuild parts of the road from London to Holyhead. This work was completed by his assistant, John MacNeill, who had worked with him for ten years. Today, much of this route is the A5 trunk road. However, the Holyhead Road later changed direction, following parts of the A45, A41, and A464 through Coventry, Birmingham, and Wolverhampton. Between London and Shrewsbury, most of the improvements focused on making the road better. Beyond Shrewsbury, especially past Llangollen, the work often required building new roads from scratch. Notable parts of this route include the Waterloo Bridge over the River Conwy near Betws-y-Coed, the climb to Capel Curig, and the descent from the Nant Ffrancon pass toward Bangor. Between Capel Curig and Bethesda, in the Ogwen Valley, Telford changed the path of the road, which had originally been built by the Romans.
On the island of Anglesey, a new raised road across the Stanley Sands to Holyhead was built. However, the greatest challenge was crossing the Menai Strait, solved by the Menai Suspension Bridge (1819–26). At 580 feet (180 meters), this was the longest suspension bridge of its time. Unlike modern suspension bridges, Telford used individual iron eye bars, each 9.5 feet (2.9 meters) long, to create the cables.
Telford also worked on the North Wales coast road between Chester and Bangor, including another major suspension bridge at Conwy, which opened the same year as the Menai Bridge.
Further away, Telford designed a road across the center of the Isle of Arran. Called the "String Road," this route crosses rough and difficult terrain to connect east and west Arran, avoiding a longer coastal path. His improvements to the Glasgow–Carlisle road, later known as the A74, have been called "a model for future engineers."
Telford improved methods for building macadam roads by carefully choosing stones based on their thickness, considering factors like traffic, road alignment, and slopes.
Telford was given the nickname "Colossus of Roads" by his friend, Robert Southey, who later became Poet Laureate.
In 1821, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The 'Telford Church'
In 1823, an Act of Parliament gave £50,000 to build up to 40 churches and homes for ministers (called manses) in communities without any church buildings. These churches are sometimes called "Parliamentary Churches" or "Parliamentary Kirks" because of this funding. The total cost for each church site could not be more than £1500. A man named Telford was asked to design the buildings. He created a simple church with a T-shaped layout and two manse designs: one with one floor and another with two floors. These designs could be adjusted based on the land and building materials, such as brick or stone, and each manse cost £750 to build. Out of 43 churches originally planned, 32 were built in the Scottish highlands and islands. The other 11 were completed by repairing and improving existing buildings. The last church was finished in 1830. Some of these churches have been restored or changed to private uses.
Late career
Thomas Telford completed several important projects during his career. These include the St Katharine Docks (1824–28) near Tower Bridge in London, where he worked with architect Philip Hardwick. He also designed the Gloucester and Berkeley Ship Canal, now called the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, the Over Bridge near Gloucester, the second Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal (1827), and the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, which is now part of the Shropshire Union Canal. This canal began in May 1826 but was completed in January 1835 after Telford’s death. In 1829, Galton Bridge was the longest single span in the world. Telford designed and planned the Macclesfield Canal, which was completed later by William Crosley (or Crossley). He also built Whitstable Harbour in Kent in 1832, which connected to the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. This railway used a special system with a tidal reservoir to remove mud from the water. Telford finished the Grand Trunk Canal after James Brindley died from overwork.
In 1820, Telford became the first President of the newly created Institution of Civil Engineers. He held this position until his death.
Freemasonry
He was one of the first members of Phoenix Lodge, No. 257 (in Portsmouth). Telford created a room inside the George Inn for the lodge. In 1786, he joined Salopian Lodge, No. 262 (Shrewsbury, England) as a member.
Telford's death
George Turnbull, a young draftsman and clerk who worked with Thomas Telford from 1830 to 1834, wrote in his diary:
Thomas Telford was buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey. A statue was built near his burial site in St Andrew's Chapel, which is next to the north transept.
Throughout his life, Telford showed strong care for his birthplace, Eskdale, and its people. In his will, he left gifts to the two local libraries in Westerkirk and Langholm.
Telford the poet
Telford was known for his writing before becoming famous as an engineer. He published poems between 1779 and 1784 and wrote about a trip to Scotland with Robert Southey. In his will, he left gifts to Southey (who later wrote Telford’s biography), the poet Thomas Campbell (1777–1844), and the publishers of the Edinburgh Encyclopædia (to which Telford had contributed).
George Turnbull wrote that Telford gave him a poem. Turnbull added notes explaining nine references to the life of Robert Burns in the poem.
Turnbull also mentioned another example from later in Telford’s life: a poem titled To Sir John Malcolm on Receiving His Miscellaneous Poems (1831).
Places named after Telford
Telford is honored in the names of many places and buildings:
- Telford New Town;
- Thomas Telford School;
- Thomas Telford Road in Langholm, where Telford worked as an apprentice when he was young;
- Telford Hall, a student housing building at Loughborough University. A plaque that honors him is displayed in the hall's common room;
- Telford, Pennsylvania, a town in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The town changed its name to Telford in 1857 after the North Pennsylvania Railroad Company named its new train station there "Telford" to honor Thomas Telford;
- Telford College in Shropshire;
- Telford Bridge (footbridge), a pedestrian bridge built over the Shubenacadie Canal in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, in 2008. The bridge was named for Telford, who helped build the Canadian canal in the 1800s;
- Thomas Telford Basin, part of a housing development along the Ashton Canal in Manchester.
Autobiography
Thomas Telford wrote an autobiography called The Life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer. It was published after he died in 1838.