Milestone for Rennie the engineer

A SERIES of events commemorating the achievements of Scottish engineer John Rennie is being held in his native East Lothian next month.

Born 250 years ago at Phantassie, a farm near East Linton, Rennie designed and built great works, many of which are standing today. His glittering civil engineering career began by building canals - his most celebrated are at Crinan, Rochdale and Lancaster - before moving into bridges and aqueducts.

Rennie broke new ground by combining stone and cast-iron and he began to build his trademark bridges with long, low, elegant arches. Two of his many bridges can be seen in Musselburgh and Kelso.

To mark his legacy, a family "bridge-building" challenge is being held at East Linton Community Hall on Friday, June 3 from 12.30pm to 4pm, followed by a birthday tea.

The following day, a John Rennie exhibition opens at John Muir Birthplace, Dunbar from 10am and a walking tour meets at John Rennie Memorial, East Linton from 2.30pm, while on June 7 there will be a lecture on the man from 7.30pm at Prestonkirk, East Linton.