A World First For Nottingham.

[Michael Booth 7,364]

Radcliffe Road, in West Bridgford, was the first road in the world to be laid with a Tarmac surface. Another special event in Nottingham's great history.

Below is the Nottingham Post Report.

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Road-journey-past-world-surfaces/story-25777117-detail/story.html

[bamber 128]

The history of Tarmac seems to vary according to your source.

For example, I've read that Hooley came up with the idea for tarmac because of an accident at the entrance to the Nottingham Corporation gas works at Eastcroft and that London Road was, in fact, the first road to be tarmac'd.

[poohbear 1,360]

And I've read the first were in Paris.

[Commo 1,292]

Why is it known as Tarmacadam and not Tarhooley?

[TBI 2,351]

It does explain in the NP article :-)

[BeestonMick 263]

Why is it known as Tarmacadam and not Tarhooley?

I'm under the impression that tarmacadam was invented by someone called McAdam in the 1800's. It was later (1900's?) that the method was patented by someone named Hooley, Hooley did not invent it. But, this method had been used for a long time before MacAdam got hold of the idea and the grading of stones comes from Roman times. Because this has been going on for the best part ot 200 years and longer I doubt the idea that bread and lard island had the first tarmacked road.

[TBI 2,351]

Not exactly, John McAdam invented the road surface known as macadam. Much later Hooley patented the tarring of macadam which was then called tarmacadam.

Also as he was the Nottingham surveyor, it seems reasonable that the first road was actually in Nottingham.

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

TBI agree with you entirely.

If you research carefully you will find that the roads in Paris were laid in blocks of bitumen not Tarmacadam as we know it. Macadam roads were as described above just graded stones to form a surface.

Hooley sold his patent to a chap from Birmingham was who founded Tarmac the company we all know today.

[loppylugs 8,427]

Does anyone remember the big steamrollers used to smooth the stuff out, big smoke and steam belching monsters that kept us kids in awe.

[TBI 2,351]

Yes, and the smell of tarmac. Mmmmm!

[piggy and babs 544]

when my kids were small and had whooping cough lots of people told me to take them to watch road works as the smell of the tarmachelped to clear the chest of the mucus that remained after about ofwhooping cough.

and ii forgot who used to make tar babies and dogs and cats ect