John Loudon McAdam (1756-1836), The 'macadamiser' of roads

Sitter in 3 portraits
The civil engineer and road surveyor McAdam invented a road surface which revolutionised road building and travel. In 1811 he reported the terrible condition of Britain's roads to Parliament and proposed a solution. His technique of draining and laying down roads made of successive layers of small broken stones, naturally compacted by traffic, became known as 'Macadamisation'. It was widely adopted and, by improving coaching times, it played a key part in Britain's development as an industrial and commercial nation.