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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Thomas Telford
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(1757–1834) Scottish engineer, self-educated son of a shepherd, with a prodigious list of achievements in several fields. He amazed the world with his *Pont Cysyllte aqueduct, under construction from 1795 (it is astonishing even today to see a barge moving through the sky). In 1803 he was appointed by the government to undertake extensive works in his native Scotland; the result was 1480km/920m of roads (Southey called him the Colossus of Roads), 120 bridges and the *Caledonian Canal. He was commissioned next to improve the road along the north coast of Wales, from Chester to Holyhead in Anglesey (part of the main route between London and Dublin); this task involved constructing his two most famous bridges, at *Conwy and over the *Menai Strait. One of his last undertakings was *St Katharine's Dock in London.
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