Kirkaldy’s Testing Works
The Industrial Revolution transformed the world, but engineers found themselves on a crash course in understanding the forces affecting new construction materials. Variable quality in materials had catastrophic results. The collapse of a new railway bridge over the river Dee in 1847 and of the Tay Bridge in 1879 showed the need for engineers to rely on thorough, scrupulous testing. In other words, on Facts, not Opinions. This Victorian innovation space set standards for engineering globally.