Management of the civil engineering works of Thomas Telford in the highlands of Scotland

Abstract

The Thesis concerns the management of Thomas Telford's two main civil engineering projects in the Highlands of Scotland:the Caledonian Canal and the Highlands Roads and Bridges. Special attention has been given to the involvement of central government in the financing of the projects and the methods adopted by Telford in solving the various managerial problems stemming from this involvement. The Thesis includes an examination of the responsibilities of the various civil engineers involved in the projects, the role of contractors, the supply and cost of labour and materials and the relationship between engineer and government. A general survey of civil engineering management practice in the latter half of the eighteenth and first quarter of the nineteenth centuries form the context for the detailed discussion of Telford's work which follows.