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Telford's Pontcysyllte aqueduct is still in use and still the world's highest. Not bad for a civil engineering project started in the late 18th Century and comp

Telford's Pontcysyllte aqueduct is still in use and still the world's highest. Not bad for a civil engineering project started in the late 18th Century and completed 218 years ago (1805): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontcysyllte_Aqueduct https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontcysyllte_Aqueduct https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ehX7gKaAL74 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ehX7gKaAL74 Here's another that's somewhat less famous: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirk_Aqueduct https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirk_Aqueduct Telford was before Brunel (Pontcysyllte was completed a year before Brunel was born) and no doubt the latter took inspiration from him. Both were giants of the Industrial Revolution.

gcanyon 3y ago
I know, survivor bias, but still: some people built some things to really last back then.
- hilbert42 3y ago
  I'd be too long here to give reasons in detail but noticeable characteristics of much Victorian era engineering are its excellent workmanship and longevity and that even with inferior materials than we have today that many of these works have lasted much longer than many structures that are more modern. Much of the reason had to do with the then prevailing attitude (the Industrial Revolution worldview) which was that they had a more long-term view coupled with pride—'see what we can now do' (often engeering was carried out to the best of its ability and done without shortcomings).
  - kitd 3y ago
    As another example, Brunel's Maidenhead Railway Bridge to this day holds the world record for having the lowest ratio height:span for brick arches.
    - hilbert42 3y ago
      Yeah right. Like many techies and engineers interested in the history of tech I've a book of Brunel's bio. Some people have instinctive genius and he was one of them.
  - tragomaskhalos 3y ago
    Also - material science and computation being less advanced, they just built bigger margins of error into everything that required resistance to force etc. Compare to today where everything is done to wafer-thin margins to minimise cost, hence fiascos such as RAAC.

gcanyon 3y ago

I know, survivor bias, but still: some people built some things to really last back then.

hilbert42 3y ago
I'd be too long here to give reasons in detail but noticeable characteristics of much Victorian era engineering are its excellent workmanship and longevity and that even with inferior materials than we have today that many of these works have lasted much longer than many structures that are more modern. Much of the reason had to do with the then prevailing attitude (the Industrial Revolution worldview) which was that they had a more long-term view coupled with pride—'see what we can now do' (often engeering was carried out to the best of its ability and done without shortcomings).
- kitd 3y ago
  As another example, Brunel's Maidenhead Railway Bridge to this day holds the world record for having the lowest ratio height:span for brick arches.
  - hilbert42 3y ago
    Yeah right. Like many techies and engineers interested in the history of tech I've a book of Brunel's bio. Some people have instinctive genius and he was one of them.
- tragomaskhalos 3y ago
  Also - material science and computation being less advanced, they just built bigger margins of error into everything that required resistance to force etc. Compare to today where everything is done to wafer-thin margins to minimise cost, hence fiascos such as RAAC.