Engraving of John Metcalf, British engineer

Credit: GEORGE BERNARD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Restrictions:

Caption: John Metcalf. Engraving of John Metcalf (1717- 1810), British engineer and road builder. Blinded at the age of 6 by an attack of smallpox, Metcalf had a varied career in his youth. He began planning the construction of a 5 kilometre turnpike (toll-paying) road in Yorkshire in 1765. Successfully completing this, he planned the construction of others, always performing a survey of the route on his own. He constructed roads across marshy areas by using a base of vegetation. During the next 30 years he built 290 kilometres of roads, being paid #65,000 for them and retiring in 1792.

Release details: Model release not available. Property release not required.

Keywords: blind engineer, blinded, disabled engineer, engineer, john, metcalf, portraits, road builder, smallpox victim, surname m, turnpike road builder

Licence fees: A licence fee will be charged for any media (low or high resolution) used in your project.