image for illustration: Isambard Kingdom Brunel Standing Before the Launching Chains of the Great Eastern by Robert Howlett (British, 1831–1858)Restored by Bammesk – Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain
Discover the extraordinary inventions and structures of the pioneer of the modern age, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Historic England writes:
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806 to 1859) was one of the giants of the Industrial Revolution. His originality of thought, extraordinary vision, and risk-taking ushered out the old world of sailing ships and horse-drawn transport. He pioneered a new age, revolutionising engineering and transport with ground-breaking designs for railways, steamships, bridges, tunnels and docks. Here, we look at some of his greatest achievements, many of which remain in use today.
When was Isambard Kingdom Brunel born?
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born on 9 April 1806 in Portsmouth, Hampshire. He was the only son of British-based French-émigré engineer Marc Isambard Brunel (1769 to 1849), a prolific and renowned inventor, and Sophia Kingdom. He taught his son drawing, geometry, and the basic principles of engineering from the age of 4, as well as helping him become fluent in French. Marc wanted his son to be an engineer and sent him to France at 14 for technical schooling, which was unavailable in Britain. Isambard returned to England in 1822 to work in his father’s office. This marked the start of the extraordinary career of this diminutive genius. What structures and bridges did Isambard Kingdom Brunel build?
- Thames Tunnel, London
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, 2 projects were underway to build a tunnel under the River Thames to alleviate the traffic jams on London Bridge, the only downstream bridge in the capital at that time. The projects failed due to flooding and the dangerous instability of the area’s clay, mud and quicksand. The concept of the tunnel was deemed impossible. However, Isambard’s father took up the challenge, patenting a tunnelling shield and creating a new tunnel plan in 1823. Private investors funded the project, which began 2 years later, with Isambard joining his father as Resident Engineer in 1827. The excavation was extremely hazardous. There were fires, methane and hydrogen gas leaks, and sudden flooding. Workers drowned, and Isambard himself was revived after being pulled unconscious from a flood. The Thames Tunnel finally opened on 25 March 1843 after 20 years of delays, primarily due to flooding but also due to continuing financial problems. The Brunels’ structure was the first subaqueous tunnel in the world. This was a spectacular triumph of engineering. But it was a failure financially. Initially intended for horse-drawn vehicles to alleviate traffic across the river, extending the entrance shafts to accommodate them proved too prohibitively expensive. The tunnel instead became a major Victorian tourist attraction. An estimated 2 million people a year paid 1 penny to visit. Smart shops selling fancy goods were sited within the arches between the 2 tunnels. They were decorated with marble counters, gilded shelves and mirrors, and brightly lit with gas burners. The tunnel’s popularity as a tourist destination gradually waned, and it became the haunt of sex workers and robbers. In 1865, the East London Railway Company bought it and converted it into a railway tunnel. The first steam trains ran through it in 1869. Later, it became part of the London Underground’s East London line. In 2010, it was repurposed as part of the new London Overground.
- Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol..
- The Great Western Railway, London to Bristol…
… Bridges had to be constructed, such as Maidenhead Bridge over the River Thames in Buckinghamshire and the Royal Albert Bridge spanning the River Tamar between Plymouth, Devon, and Saltash, Cornwall (both Grade I listed). Viaducts, such as the Grade II* listed viaduct in Chippenham, needed to be built, and new stations had to be established all along the route, including the termini of Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads. An immense team of over 1,000 navvies excavated and constructed the route by hand. 3 viaducts, 4 major bridges, and 7 tunnels were built between the Bath and Bristol section alone. The first leg from Paddington to Maidenhead opened in 1838. It reached Reading by early 1840 and Swindon by the end of the year.
However, between Bath and Chippenham, Brunel faced one of his greatest engineering challenges: creating a tunnel nearly 3 kilometres long through solid rock. The Box Tunnel took 3 years to construct. In the final months, around 4,000 workers used 1 tonne of explosives every week to blast through the rock, along with 1 tonne of candles for illumination. 20 million bricks were laid. An estimated 100 workers died during the construction. When completed in 1841, the Box Tunnel was the longest railway tunnel in the world. In June 1841, the Great Western Railway London to Bristol route finally opened. In the following years, the growth of the railways boomed across the country. Brunel was the chief engineer for GWR’s expansion. Over 1,200 miles had been built under his design and supervision by his death.
- Steamships SS Great Western, SS Great Britain and SS Great Eastern..
Brunel’s lasting legacy
There are many monuments to Brunel, along with many locations bearing his name. But his enduring legacy is best represented by his railways, bridges, tunnels, viaducts, buildings and docks across the country, many of which were engineering firsts and remain in use today.
