Who was John Loudon McAdam?
Inventor of the Macadam Road Surface (Tarmac)
and pioneer roadway engineer.
Date and Place of Birth:
21st September 1756, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland.
Lady Cathcart House, Ayr, Scotland where John Loudon McAdam
was born.
Now obviously a Tourist Information Office. This
building was saved from demolition in the 1980's and a plaque erected
in 2006 by the Institution of Civil Engineers to commemorate McAdam
(© Anthony Blagg)
Family Background:
Family descended from the chiefs of the Clan
McGregor.
Education:
Mr Doicks School at Maybole.
Chronology/Biography of John Loudon McAdam:
1770: Went To New
York City and entered the Counting House of a rich merchant Uncle.
1783: Returned To
Scotland with a considerable fortune.
1798: Moved to Falmouth
in Cornwall on a Court Contract.
1827: Appointed
Surveyor General of Metropolitan Roads in Great Britain.
Written Works:
- 1816:
“Remarks on the Present System of Road Making”
- 1819:
"Practical Essays on the Scientific Repair and Presentation
of Roads.”
- 1823:
"Parliamentary Enquiry into Road Making.”
Marriage:
To Gloriana Nicoll, daughter of William Nicoll
of Suffolk, New York.
Places of Interest:
SOUTH AYRSHIRE:
Birthplace commemorated with a plaque.
Date and Place of Death:
26th November 1836, Moffat, Dumfrieshire, Scotland.
Age at Death:
80.
Site of Grave:
Moffat Cemetery, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
next to his grandmother.
Grave of John Loudon McAdam and several members of his family
(© Anthony Blagg)
