McAdam, John Loudon: letter

This material is held atSenate House Library Archives, University of London

Scope and Content

Letter from John Loudon McAdam to the antiquary and topographer, John Britton, 27 Oct 1826. Thanking Britton for his paper and commenting on prospective modifications to the Poor Law.

Administrative / Biographical History

John Loudon McAdam was born in Ayr in 1756. He became famous as a road builder, in particular for his seminal book Remarks on the Present System of Road Making (1816). McAdam was so influential that his surname has entered the English language as 'tarmacadam' and 'tarmac', a synonym for the tarred road surface he invented.

Arrangement

1 item only

Access Information

Open for research

Acquisition Information

Senate House Library

Other Finding Aids

Collection-level description

Archivist's Note

Compiled by Anya Turner.

Separated Material

McAdam's papers are also held at the following institutions; papers (56 items) at the Museum of the City of New York Library; observations on his life and work (1800) at Manchester Archives and Local Studies (record reference L15); letters to Lord Grenville (1811-20) at the British Library, Manuscript Collections; correspondence with JA Stewart-Mackenzie and Admiral Keith Stewart (1787-1824) at the National Archives of Scotland (record reference GD46 link to online catalogue).

Conditions Governing Use

Copies may be made, subject to the condition of the original. Copying must be undertaken by the Palaeography Room staff, who will need a minimum of 24 hours to process requests.

Custodial History

Transferred from Senate House Library.