Dr June McCarroll: The rebel doctor armed with a paintbrush who defined our roads

It’s the early days of the 20th century. The motor car is still a relatively new invention. Roads are rudimentary, despite sealed tar-paved roads first making an appearance in the Middle East in the 8th Century. Roads continued to evolve over the centuries, but it was the advent of the motor car that saw a rapid rise in development and construction. Sealing the surface became commonplace, once British engineer Edgar Purnell Hooley patented his idea for tarmac in 1901.