Thomas Telford

Thomas Telford (August 9, 1757 - September 2, 1834) was born in Westerkirk, Scotland. He was a stonemason, architect and civil engineer - a noted road-, bridge- and canal- builder.

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, with Chester (utilising the existing Chester Canal), and then the River Mersey.

Related Topics:
1793 - Ellesmere Canal - Wrexham - Ellesmere - Chester - Chester Canal - River Mersey

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Among other structures, this canal involved building an aqueduct over the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen; for the spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Telford used a new method of construction consisting of troughs made from cast iron plates and fixed in masonry.

Related Topics:
Aqueduct - River Dee - Llangollen - Pontcysyllte Aqueduct - Cast iron

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Eminent canal engineer William Jessop oversaw the project, but he left the detailed execution of the project in Telford's hands.

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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 a 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).

Related Topics:
Shrewsbury Canal - 1795 - Longdon-on-Tern - Benjamin Outram - Derby Canal

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