John Loudon McAdam, St Augustine’s Church, Broxbourne, Herts, UK
Posted by: 
bill&ben
N 51° 44.661 W 000° 00.891
30U E 706075 N 5736821
A memorial to John Loudon McAdam, a pioneer road builder.
Waymark Code: WM9XH8
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/11/2010
Views: 1
John Loudon McAdam was born in Ayr, Scotland in 1756. In his early life he made his fortune as a merchant in New York during the American Revolution, allowing him to purchase an estate in Ayrshire on his return.
In Ayrshire, McAdam became a trustee of the Ayrshire Turnpike, becoming increasingly involved in the process of road construction. By 1816 he was appointed as surveyor to the Bristol Turnpike Trust. At Bristol he remade the roads using a layered technique involving a foundation layer of large stones topped with crushed stone and gravel. Water damage was avoided on the roads by employing a camber to deflect rainfall. His technique of road building became known as macadamisation. John McAdam’s ideas quickly spread around the world, the majority of Europe’s roads being macadamized during the 19th century.
John McAdam was commissioned to improve Hertfordshire’s roads and by 1823 he was living in Hoddesdon at Montague House. He died in 1836 in Ayrshire whilst on a visit to Scotland.
Website with more information on either the memorial or the person(s) it is dedicated to: [Web Link]
Location: Church
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