SELF-GUIDED TECHNICAL HISTORY TOUR OF SCOTLAND
This tour was constructed in part by the Staff of the IEEE History Center A global map of IEEE Milestones, ASCE Landmarks, and ASME Landmarks can be found on the Innovation Map. For a list of other technical history tours, please click here.
Glenlair
Glenlair near village of Corsock, Dumfries and Galloway 55.0294, -3.9412
James C. Maxwell home where he did work on his equations. The equations are an IEEE milestone
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Edinburgh
Edinburgh Academy, 42 Henderson Row , Edinburgh 55.960232, -3.2036444 Maxwell was educated there.
James C. Maxwell Statue, 22-26 George Street, Edinburgh, 55.9529, -3.2004 http://ethw.org/Milestones:Maxwell%27s_Equations,_1860-1871
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James C. Maxwell Birthplace, 14 India Street 55.9552446, -3.2054982 http://www.clerkmaxwellfoundation.org/JCMF_brochure_v2.pdf
John Napier home, now part of the Merchiston campus of Edinburgh Napier University, 10 Colinton Road, Edinburgh 55.933333, -3.213889 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Napier Napier was the inventor of logarithms and Napier's Bones, an early calculating device
John Napier grave site, St. Cuthbert's Church, Lothian Rd at the base of the castle 55.9496, -3.2052 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Cuthbert%27s_Church,_Edinburgh
Thomas Telford's Dean Bridge (1833), Queensferry Road, where it crosses Water of Leith and Dean Gardens, Edinburgh 55.95278, -3.214037 http://transportheritage.com/find-heritage-locations.html?sobi2Task=sobi2Details&sobi2Id=507
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Firth of Forth Bridge, 9 miles/ 14 Km west of Edinburgh 55.9908557,-3.3859124 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Bridge , ASCE Landmark
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Stirling
Frank Barnwell, early flight (1911) Wallace Monument 56.138611, -3.920278 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Barnwell The first flight of more than a mile in Scotland took place below the Wallace Monument.
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Glasgow and nearby
Hunterian Museum, Glasgow University, Gilmorehill Campus, Hillhead St., Glasgow 55.873071, 4.288856 Contains scientific instruments used by James Watt, Joseph Lister, and Lord Kelvin http://www.gla.ac.uk/hunterian/collections/
Riverside Museum, Pointhouse Place, Glasgow. Glasgow's transport museum (locomotives, shipbuilding) https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/riverside-museum
University of Strathclyde, Archives, Curran Bldg., Cathedral St., Glasgow 55.8630245, -4.2431 http://www.strath.ac.uk/archives/iotm/january2012/ Contains the papers of George Forbes, who researched the velocity of light (1873)
Glasgow University, Gilmorehill Campus 55.7568908, -4.165374 http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH0018&type=P James Watt of steam engine fame taught there, and the Engineering building is named in his honour
James Watt statue, SW corner of George Square, Glasgow City centre 55.8614252, -4.248894 http://digital.nls.uk/scientists/biographies/james-watt/places.html
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RAF Abbotsinch Station (between 1933-1943) now Glasgow Int. Airport http://www.glasgowairport.com/
Port Glasgow
(1812) 55.94, -4.69 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Glasgow Building site of first successful passenger steamer, Harry Bell’s Comet, a replica of which is at 39 Shore St 55.935332, -4.69128 http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/PSComet
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Steamship Charlotte Dundas, Proposed development and replica along Forth-Clyde Canal http://www.charlotte-dundas.co.uk/ First successful steam tug on Forth-Clyde Canal
Forth-Clyde Canal (1790) Bowling (west of Glasgow) to Edinburg, walkable and bikeable path 55.932, -4.494 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_and_Clyde_Canal_Pathway
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Helensburg
John Logie Baird house at Helensburg, The Lodge, 121 West Argyle Street, Helensburgh (apprx 30k NW of Glasgow) 56.0078532, -4.7446067 http://ethw.org/John_Logie_Baird Baird was a pioneer of television.
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Harry Bell gravesite, Rhu Churchyard, Church Place Rhu, Helensburg 56.017374, -4.779874 https://www.flickr.com/photos/41583834@N03/sets/72157627167684237/ Bell built the first successful passenger steamer (see Port Glasgow entry above)
Kilmarnock (apprx 25 km SW of Glasgow)
1816 Stirling Heat Engine , Laigh Kirk, John Dickie St. 55.610278, -4.496944
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Stirling Robert Stirling invented the engine while pastor at Laigh Kirk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laigh_Kirk,_Kilmarnock
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New Lanark
Social activist and philanthropist Robert Owen built his model mill town here (1785). http://www.newlanark.org/world-heritage-site/
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Machrihanish (South West Coast, near Campletown)
Fessenden Radio Broadcast 55.4224796,-5.7525796 Fessenden's radio mast blew down in a 1906 gale and is no longer extant http://ethw.org/Milestones:First_Wireless_Radio_Broadcast_by_Reginald_A._Fessenden,_1906
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East Central near Bo’ness of Firth of Forth
James Watt's workshop, on grounds of Kinneil House (1677), East-Central Scotland 56.0071, -3.6342 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinneil_House There is also a section of the Roman Antonine Wall on the grounds
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Oban
1956 Transatlantic Cable site, Oban, Scotland, 56.4110703,-5.4896183 A section of the cable and other artifacts and information about the project are in the Oban War and Peace Museum at the corner of the Corran Esplanade and John St., Oban. Although the plaque is unfortunately now underwater, the actual cable landing structure is still visible on the beach at Gallanach Bay about 3km south of Oban 56.3808252,-5.5265386 http://ethw.org/Milestones:The_First_Submarine_Transatlantic_Telephone_Cable_System_(TAT-1),_1956 The cable is an IEEE Milestone
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Fort William to Inverness
Caledonia Canal (1822) Fort William to Inverness 57.112478, -4.738541 http://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/our-canals/caledonian-canal The canal is an ASCE Landmark
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