Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer Return to :- [Moffat Homepage] [Moffat Server Index] [Telford Index] [Life of Telford] [Made by Telford] [A Local Telford Tour Guide] [Richard Edkins : The Early Roads of Moffat] [Norman Millar : The New Road From Glasgow To Carlisle]

Made by Telford :

Introduction

Thomas Telford is well known for his Shrewsbury to Holyhead Irish Mail road, but the Scottish works are less publicised. This list of roads, canals, port structures and bridges, will help to correct this position.

There are two sketch maps of Northern Scotland and Southern Scotland to assist readers. Note that some spellings (for example, Tongueland = Tongland) which vary from modern usage.
Copies of original design elevations by Telford are linked to many of those bridges referred to in the text.

Roads Designed and Built :

Glasgow - Carlisle Road (mainly A74) :

Glasgow, to Lesmahagow, Abington, Crawford, Beattock (nr. Moffat) Johnstone Mill/Bridge, Lockerbie, Gretna and Carlisle. Mostly on the line of the old A74, in places replaced by the A74(M). Major bridges at Esk Bridge (Metal Bridge), Gretna, , , Johnstone Mill, Beattock.
The Esk Bridge was replaced by another structure in 1916, in turn replaced by the present A 74(M) bridge in the 1980s. Parts of the Esk Bridge (railings, lamp) are in the Tullie House Museum at Carlisle. Gretna Bridge was enlarged and a second bridge built alongside it. The other three bridges were demolished.

Beattock Inn : This is now the Old Brig Inn and Telford Restaurant. It was designed by Telford and built to provide an alternative to diverting into Moffat. Details are given elsewhere on this website.

North of Beattock, there were bridges at Abington and Lesmahagow