Description

Book: The Forth Bridge in its Various Stages of Construction and Compared with the Most Notable Bridges of the World. Author: Philip Phillips, Edinburgh 1890. The title page is signed “James Currie”.

The book was rescued by Mr James (Jimmy) Kerr Brown, MICE from being thrown out during the 1975 local government reorganisation in Scotland. Mr Brown graduated with honours in BSc in Civil Engineering in 1951 from Glasgow University. After national service, he graduated, and started work with Ayr County Council. A short time later, he joined Ayr Burgh Council, rising to the position of Depute Burgh Surveyor. He was a classic municipal engineer, covering a wide range of disciplines, but was keenest on road engineering. When the Regional Councils were set up in 1975, he became Area Engineer for Ayr South in the Roads Department, looking after operational aspects of roads in the southern half of Ayrshire. He stayed there, through a number of reorganisations, until he retired in 1990. He died in 2011. The book was donated by his wife, Mrs Margaret Brown.

This item was loaned to South Ayrshire Council for an exhibition Spanning the Centuries Sir William Arrol’s Legacy in Steel, Stone, and Culture. Roselle House Museum & Galleries, Ayr. February – May 2023.