The Linda Hall Library’s “Scientist of the Day” turned to James Brindley to mark the anniversary of his death on 27 September 1772. The piece tells how a millwright’s apprentice “with no formal education whatsoever” – who reportedly could not read – went on to build England’s first canal for the Duke of Bridgewater.
His innovations included the standard 70ft narrowboat, the seemingly impossible Barton Aqueduct carrying the canal over the River Irwell, and the Trent & Mersey Canal linking Wedgwood’s potteries to the ports. A neat reminder that ingenuity, not qualifications, laid the foundations of the canal age.
Source: Linda Hall Library – Scientist of the Day: James Brindley
