One of Britain's greatest ever civil engineers, Thomas Telford was born on 9th August 1757 at the hill farm of Glendinning in the Glen of Eskdale in Dumfriesshire.
When Telford was a baby his father died and he was raised with the help of relatives. At 14 he became an apprentice to a stone mason which began his illustrious career culminating in him becoming the first president of the Institution of Civil Engineers. In 1793 Telford became engineer for the Ellesmere Canal Company, which was the beginning of a period up until 1826 during which he was to be involved in some significant engineering projects in Wales.
A timeline for Thomas Telford's notable engineering projects in Wales.
1801 - Chirk Aqueduct; The Ellesmere Canal was a prosposed waterway to carry boat traffic between the rivers Severn and Mersey. It was never completed and the surviving central section in Wales is now called the Llangollen Canal. The Chirk Aqueduct carries the canal across the Ceiriog Valley.
1805 - Pontcysyllte Aqueduct carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee. At 126 ft (38 m), it is the highest navigable aqueduct in the world and at 1008 ft (307 m), the longest in the UK.
1811 - Telford presented to Parliament his plan for the London to Holyhead Road. The Act of Union 1800, which unified Ireland and Great Britain had given rise to the need for improved transport links between Dublin and London. In 1815, Telford was given the responsibility for establishing this new route. The most challenging section was that across the mountainous terrain of north Wales and proved to be one of Telford's most significant achievements.
1815 - Waterloo Bridge, Betws-y-Coed was built as part of the London to Holyhead road. It is one of the first bridges to be built entirely from cast iron and is a Grade I listed structure.
1823 - The Stanley Embankment carried Telford's road from the Island of Anglesey to Holy Island on which the port of Holyhead is situated.
1824 - Telford was consulted on how the mail coach services could be improved between South Wales and London and Wales. His recommendation for a road bridge spanning the Severn was not acted on, however, a bridge was later built at his proposed site in 1966.
1826 - Conwy Suspension Bridge was one of the world's first road suspension bridges and is a Grade I-listed structure. Telford designed the bridge to have castellated towers and machicolation so that it complimented the adjacent Conwy Castle.
1826 - Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge was the first permanent bridge linking Anglesey with the rest of Wales and its opening completed the London to Holyhead Road. The current day A5 follows more or less the same route as Telford's road across north Wales and has been designated as a historic route worthy of preservation.
