IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVING ROADS AND STREETS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BROWNE, of Great Castle Street, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighth day of November, in the second year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Browne, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that J,
the said John Browne, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Browne, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAVING ROADS AND STREETS;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said John Browne, shall
cause a particular description of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Browne, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Invention relates to a mode of paving with blocks of stone, or with
blocks of wood, and giving security thereto by means of cast or wrought
iron frames, or frames of other suitable material, as hereafter explained.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents the plan of the frame; and Figure 2, a vertical section
thereof; and Figure 3 is part of the section of a road or way constructed or
paved according to my Invention. The frames are to be of cast or wrought
iron, by preference, or, indeed of any suitable material, and are to have suit-
able means for connecting them together, and in such manner that any pressure
on one of the frames will be aided and carried by the connections of the frames
one with another. a, a, are bars of angle iron, the lower portion a being that
portion which rests on and is carried by the previously prepared roadway,
which should be brought to the proper figure or slopes on the surface, and well
beaten down, in order to consolidate the surface; and the frames a, a¹, should
also be formed to the slope or curves of the road or way, when the same is not
intended to be truly horizontal. a¹ is the angle or vertical portion of the bars a,
between which the blocks of stone or of wood are placed; and I would recom-
mend that in using blocks of stone to lay them with gravel, lime, and other
materials, as heretofore, taking care that the whole combined mass carried by
any one frame should bind well together, in order that all parts may combine
together to produce a strong surface; each stone resting on the parts a of the
frame a, a', as is shewn in the Drawing, and being well rammed with gravel
and lime, or other suitable material, between the joints or interstices, will
support each other, and by this means produce a more solid and lasting road-
way than any mode heretofore practised. And I would remark that in paving
by this means, stone or blocks of wood of less depth than heretofore used may
be employed, by which, notwithstanding the cost of the iron frames, a road-
way may be paved at very moderate cost when compared with the lasting
properties thereof. And I would further remark, that in paving with blocks
of wood in combination with iron frames, I prefer that the grain should be
vertical, and the same may be square or of any other figure parties may
determine on; and it will not be necessary to have the joints filled with any
material, but allow the surface to come together; at the same time, if it be
wished the joints or interstices between the blocks may be run with pitch or

page_text: tar, and sand or other material. b, b, are projections, and c, c, openings, by
which the frames a, a¹, go together, and aid to support each other.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would have it under-
stood that I do not confine myself to any particular figure or shape of frame
a, as the same may be varied, and such may be the case in respect to the
section of the bar a, a, employed, and the mode of combining one frame
with another; but what I claim as my Invention is, the combining using of
frames a, a, and blocks of stone or wood, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Browne, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.