Thomas Telford

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Thomas Telford

Thomas Telford (born August 9, 1757 in Westerkirk , Dumfriesshire , Scotland , † September 2, 1834 in Westminster (London) ) was a British builder.

Live and act

Telford gained a high reputation for numerous masterpieces of architecture during his lifetime. He is considered to be one of the founders of building using scientific methods and thus one of the first modern civil engineers . One of its most important structures is the Menai Bridge , which has been connecting the Welsh mainland with the island of Anglesey since 1826 . The bridge enabled a continuous road link between London and the seaport of Holyhead on Anglesey for trade with Ireland.

Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct

Thomas Telford was also responsible for building the Caledonian Canal , which connects the east and west coasts of Scotland . The canal was built from 1803 to 1822. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct over the River Dee and the Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct are two of his constructions.

The German-Swedish statesman Baltzar von Platen met Telford and involved him in his canal construction projects in Sweden, which led to the construction of the Göta Canal .

Telford was also busy building roads . He came up with the idea of ​​ensuring water drainage through a bulge in the middle of the street. He also dealt with the optimal layout of roads with regard to the alignment and the design of the road cross-section. Together with John Loudon McAdam , he is considered to be one of the fathers of modern road construction.

Thomas Telford founded the Institution of Civil Engineers in London in 1818 , which today has around 80,000 civil engineers in 140 countries.

Telford died on September 2, 1834 on Abingdon Street in Westminster, London . He was buried in Westminster Abbey .

Honors

1803 Telford was elected a member ( Fellow ) of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . In 1827 he was accepted into the Royal Society . He is the namesake of the planned town of Telford .

literature

Web links

Commons : Thomas Telford  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl-Eugen Kurrer : The History of the Theory of Structures. Searching for Equilibrium . Ernst & Sohn , Berlin 2018, p. 60 u. 171ff., ISBN 978-3-433-03229-9 .
  2. ^ Longdon on Tern Aqueduct at transportheritage.com, accessed June 6, 2012
  3. ^ Fellows Directory. Biographical Index: Former RSE Fellows 1783–2002. (PDF file) Royal Society of Edinburgh, accessed April 15, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Telford, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British builder
DATE OF BIRTH August 9, 1757
PLACE OF BIRTH Westerkirk , Dumfriesshire, Scotland
DATE OF DEATH September 2, 1834
Place of death Westminster (London)