John Taylor (Civil Engineer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Taylor (1779-1863) was an English a land surveyor and civil engineer. Taylor's best known project was the engineering of the Tavistock Canal.[1]
Taylor was born in Norwich, England and showed an interest in mining at a young age; in 1798, at only 19 years of age, Taylor became the manager of The Wheal Friendship Mine, located just outside of Tavistock, Devon. In its heydey, the mine was the worlds largest copper mine.[2]
From 1803 to 1817 Taylor oversaw the construction of the Tavistock Canal, which would link the town of Tavistock to Morwellham Quay on the River Tamar, where cargo could be loaded into ships.[3]
Taylor built the Redruth and Chasewater Railway in 1824,[1] and was also known for promoting metalliferous mines in Britain and Mexico from 1798-1861.[3]
