Tour Scotland 4K travel video of an Autumn road trip drive, with Scottish music, East on the A85 route on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to Perthshire, Britain, United Kingdom. For much of the A85's route, it follows the course of an old military road. This was later upgraded by Thomas Telford, before being improved once more in the 1930s as the age of motoring began. homas Telford is considered to be one of the greatest civil engineering feats of the 19th century. Telford was born on 9 August 1757, at Glendinning, a hill farm three miles East of Eskdalemuir Kirk, in the rural parish of Westerkirk, in Eskdale, Dumfriesshire. His father John Telford, a shepherd, died soon after Thomas was born. Thomas was raised in poverty by his mother Janet Jackson who died in 1794. At the age of 14, he was apprenticed to a stonemason, and some of his earliest work can still be seen on the bridge across the River Esk in Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway. He worked for a time in Edinburgh and in 1782 he moved to London, England, where, after meeting architects Robert Adam and Sir William Chambers, he was involved in building additions to Somerset House there. Two years later he found work at Portsmouth dockyard and, although still largely self taught, was extending his talents to the specification, design and management of building projects. In 1787, through his wealthy patron William Pulteney, he became Surveyor of Public Works in Shropshire. His projects included renovation of Shrewsbury Castle, the town's prison (during the planning of which he met leading prison reformer John Howard), the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth and another church, St Michael, in Madeley. Telford also undertook highway works in the Scottish Lowlands, including 184 miles of new roads and numerous bridges, ranging from a 112 foot span stone bridge across the Dee at Tongueland in Kirkcudbright to the Cartland Crags bridge near Lanark. In 1809, Telford was tasked with improving the Howth Road in Dublin, to connect the new harbour at Howth to the city of Dublin as part of wider plan to improve communication between Dublin and London. Telford was consulted in 1806 by the King of Sweden about the construction of a canal between Gothenburg and Stockholm. His plans were adopted and construction of the Göta Canal began in 1810. Telford travelled to Sweden at that time to oversee some of the more important initial excavations. On the 23rd August 1834 Thomas Telford was taken seriously ill of a bilious derangement to which he had been liable. He grew worse and worse and surgeons attended him twice a day, but it was to no avail for he died on the 2nd September, very peacefully at about 5pm. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome. When driving on Scottish roads in Scotland slow down and enjoy the trip. According to the meteorological calendar, the first day of Autumn or Fall always falls on September 1. If you follow the astrological calendar, however, Autumn or Fall begins on Saturday, September 23
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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