Thomas Telford "Colossus of Roads" 1757 - 1834 and Engineering a Sustainable Scotland

13 October 2010, 7.00pm at The Buccleuch Centre, Langholm

Thomas Telford "Colossus of Roads" 1757 - 1834 and Engineering a Sustainable Scotland

Professor Roland Paxton FRSE, Department of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University/ Brian Veitch, Director, Arup


Telford's achievements in early 19th century engineering earned him the accolades from Robert Southey, the Poet Laureate at the time, of 'Colossus of Roads' and 'Pontifex Maximus'. In addition to his engineering accomplishments Telford was renowned for his outstanding promotion of the importance of knowledge and education.
This presentation will detail Telford's life from his humble origins in Eskdale to becoming the greatest civil engineer of his era. Emphasis will be placed on the Scottish context where Telford directed the creation of more than 1000 bridges, 1200 miles of road, many harbours and the Caledonian Canal.

Scotland faces a challenging future. Economic, climatic and social issues, coupled with depletion of resources, will drive change. How will Scotland respond and adapt? Brian Veitch, from the global consultancy practice Arup, will discuss how we can move to a sustainable future by employing our strengths in engineering, science and technology to harness and benefit from these drivers of change -- and by building on the legacy of Telford and his contemporaries.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• royal society of edinburgh
• thomas telford
• roland paxton
• arup