Born near Dundee. In 1857 Kirkaldy helped form the Institution of Engineers in Scotland and was the first person to set up a load testing machine for construction materials powerful enough to deal with the largest specimens. (But see Brown Lenox & Co.)
Kirkaldy opened his first London works in an existing building in The Grove, Southwark on 1 January 1866, installing a testing machine he'd had built in Leeds. The machine was used for the construction of the nearby 1869 Blackfriars Bridge. In 1874 he had the Kirkaldy Testing Works purpose built.
Died at home, 45 Carleton Road, Islington.
