In 2002 Isambard Kingdom Brunel was voted as Britain’s second best person after William Churchill in a BBC poll
In 2002 Isambard Kingdom Brunel was voted as Britain’s second best person after William Churchill in a BBC poll.
The engineer was born on April 9, 1803, in Portsmouth. His father was a French engineer who fled France during the revolution, meaning Brunel was educated both in England and France.
Brunel was responsible for building more than 1,000 miles of railway in the West Country, the Midlands, South Wales, and Ireland.
He constructed two railway lines in Italy and was an adviser on the construction of the Victorian lines in Australia and the Eastern Bengal Railway in India.
However, most of his work was completed in England.
He worked for his father when he was old enough and went on to create many different bridges and tunnels which won him acclaim not only as an engineering genius, but as a rather mischievous man.
He is known most for his work on the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. It was built to designs based on Brunel’s work and spans over 702 feet, while being 249 feet above the River Avon.
It had the longest span of any bridge in the world at the time of its construction in 1864.
His first notable achievement was in helping his father plan the Thames Tunnel that stretches from Rotherite to Wapping and was completed in 1843.
He may also be best remembered for his construction of a network of tunnels, bridges and viaducts that made up the Great Western Railway.
He may also be best remembered for his construction of a network of tunnels, bridges and viaducts that made up the Great Western Railway. Pictured is Box Tunnel
In 1833 he was made their chief engineer and immediately began work on a line between London and Bristol. He created the viaducts at Hanwell and Chippenham, the Maidenhead Bridge, Box Tunnel and Bristol Temple Meads Station.
He is also awarded honour for introducing the broad gauge over the standard gauge on the train line.
Brunel did not only work on bridges, tunnels and railways and was also responsible for the design of several famous ships.
The Great Western, named after the railway line, was launched in 1837. It was the first steamship in the world to travel across the Atlantic ocean.
The Great Britain was launched in 1843 and was the world’s first iron-hulled, screw propeller-driven, steam-powered passenger liner.
The Great Eastern was launched in 1859 and although it was not commercially successful, it was the biggest ship ever built up to that date.
Brunel was also responsible for the redesign and construction of many of Britain’s major docks, including Bristol, Monkwearmouth, Cardiff and Milford Haven.
Brunel died of a stroke on 15 September 1859.