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From the 1790s for four decades, Thomas Telford's achievement was second to none in the application of natural forces, improved constructional materials and technology to the use and convenience of man. His projects, involving movement of people, goods or water, although mainly throughout Britain, also extended to Poland (1825), Sweden (1809–33), Panama (1825), Canada (1828) and India (1828).

In the Highlands of Scotland alone, civilisation ‘was advanced by a century’ by his improvements, which included land reclamation, fishery settlements, 1900 km of new or improved roads with more than 1100 bridges (see Chris Ford's paper in this issue); the Caledonian...