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Roads and Docks

Telford did not only concentrate on canals, he also worked on many roads.  In 1810 he was asked to report on the Holyhead road that ran from London to North Wales.  Between 1815 and 1828 many miles of new road were built along the route plus a number of important bridges.  In particular Waterloo Bridge crossing the River Conwy at Bettws-y-Coed.  This graceful cast iron structure was one of Telford’s rare decorative works carrying the emblems of Wales, Scotland, England and Ireland in its castings.

Plate 69 from the ‘Atlas to the Life of Thomas Telford’.  “Llynon Bridge over the River Conway near Bettws-y-Coed Carnarvonshire.”  The bridge later became known as Waterloo Bridge.

Telford then turned his attention to the crossing of the Menai Straits at Anglesey.  This had been the subject of discussion among engineers since 1776 when a first bridge design was drawn up.  Telford initially designed a cast iron arched bridge but this was rejected as being too difficult to build over the rocky straits.  A few years passed and in 1818 Telford submitted his design for a suspension bridge, this was accepted and construction began in 1819.  By 1826 the pioneering bridge was opened to the public.  At the same time as the Menai Bridge was being built, the Road Commissioners wanted a bridge built in the same fashion at Conway.  This was started in 1822 and completed in 1826.

Telford’s suspension bridge across the Menai Straits in 2004. Photograph courtesy of Chris Morris.

At the same time Telford was also working on designs for St Katherine’s Dock in London.  This was built between 1824 and 1828, and was regarded a masterpiece of harbour construction, fitting a working dock into a relatively small and awkward space.  He also worked on the completion of the Custom House Docks in Dublin following the death of John Rennie and in 1833 was consulted about the harbour at Sydney, Nova Scotia.

The entrance to St Katherine’s Dock, Port of London in 1960.