Thomas Telford, L.T.C. Rolt. London: Longmans, 1958

I had always been aware of Thomas Telford through my Dad teaching us kids about his London to Holyhead road and the Menai Bridge on our journeys to holiday in Holyhead.

I first came across the L.T.C Rolt biography of him in my 20s as I was in a north Wales library looking for books to read during night shifts at the chemical plant.

Telford’s career in engineering

The full span of Telford’s career in engineering is covered by Rolt’s biography, from his humble early years in the borders of Scotland, through the bold visionary years exemplified by the Menai Bridge and Poncysyllte Aqueduct, to the conservatism of his later days, his vision being surpassed by that of others such as Brunel.

Reading about Telford’s works at night and then seeing them on the way home the next day kickstarted a passion for exploring historic engineering that continues to this day.

Stephen Bailey-John