We continue our series on famous British historical figures with a profile of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Most British people recognize the name Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Even though he died more than 150 years ago, his legacy remains. The civil and mechanical engineer played a prominent role in the design of structures found throughout London. Today, some of Brunel’s bridges and tunnels are still in use.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born in April 1806. He was named after his civil engineer father, Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, and his mother, Sophia Kingdom. Reports are that Isambard Kingdom and his two older sisters had a pleasant childhood despite the family’s financial struggles.

Sir Marc made sure his children were educated and began teaching young Isambard Euclidean geometry, drawing, and observational techniques when the child was just four years old. Isambard studied in Paris from ages 14 and 16.

He later apprenticed with his father and followed in his father’s footsteps, pursuing a career in civil and mechanical engineering.

Brunel worked with his father on the Thames Tunnel which runs under the River Thames from Rotherhithe to Wapping. In 1865, the East London Railway Company purchased the Thames Tunnel which became part of the London Underground system and is still in use today.

It is now part of the East London Line and incorporated into the London Overground.

After his work on the Thames Tunnel, the younger Brunel began to have success in his own right, separate from his work with his father. His achievements are legion. He designed bridges, tunnels, ships, railways, and even a prefabricated hospital.

When he died in 1859 at the somewhat young age of 53, he was buried in the Brunel family vault in Kensel Green cemetery in London. In 1868, Westminster Abbey erected a memorial stained-glass window in honour of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The memorial is now located on the south side of the nave.

WORK WITH THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY

In 1833, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was appointed chief engineer of the Great Western Railway. He was responsible for the construction of the line that linked London to Bristol.

Some of his work in that role include:

Viaduct Construction at Hanwell and Chippenham

Including Brunel’s first structural design, the Wharncliffe Viaduct across the Brent Valley.

The Maidenhead Railway Bridge

Brunel used a compressed-air caisson to sink the pier foundations for the bridge. This helped gain acceptance of this technique for underwater and underground construction.

The Box Tunnel

At the time it opened in 1841, measuring 2.94 km (1.83 miles), it was the longest tunnel in the world. There is a myth that Brunel designed the tunnel so the sun shines all the way through it on his birthday, April 9.

In 2017, a test of the sunlight revealed that it does not shine all the way through the tunnel on Brunel’s birthday. Instead, that phenomenon occurs on April 6, the birthday of Brunel’s sister Emma Joan.

So far, no evidence has been found to verify if Brunel designed the bridge this way to honour his sister, or if it was just an interesting accident.

The Clifton Suspension Bridge

The Clifton Suspension Bridge is one of the best Brunel achievements in bridge design. The bridge is over the River Avon in Bristol.

At the time of its construction, it had the longest span of any bridge in the world. It was not completed until five years after Brunel died, but he is still credited as the designer.

The bridge is described as one that “marks a turning point in the history of engineering and has come to symbolise a city of original thinkers and independent spirit.” The bridge is still in use today.

In 1958, a Visitor Centre was established on the bridge and is open free of charge to the public.

The Centre has “displays and artefacts explaining the history, construction and maintenance of the world-famous Clifton Suspension Bridge.” Free tours of the bridge take place on Saturday.

THE GREAT WESTERN SHIP

In addition to designing the longest tunnel and the longest bridge, Brunel also designed the longest ship for the time, the Great Western. It measured 72 m (236 ft) with a 76 m (250 ft) keel.

The ship had steam-powered paddle wheels and four masts for sails. The ship was built mostly of wood, but Brunel added screws, diagonal bolts, and iron reinforcements to strengthen the keel. Its maiden voyage from Bristol to New York began on April 8, 1838. On board were seven passengers, with many tons of coal and other cargo.

It was the first ship to cross the Atlantic under steam power alone. The crossing took 15 days and five hours. It had one-third of its coal remaining. The ship made 64 crossings from 1838 to 1846. As a result of its success, Brunel was asked to design a sister ship. He continued his shipbuilding designs.

A PREFABRICATED HOSPITAL

Isambard Kingdom Brunel seemed to have no limits on his design talent. In 1854, during the Crimean War, in response to a plea from Florence Nightingale, he took on the task of designing a prefabricated hospital to send to Turkey to be put together on site.

Wood and canvas buildings were provided along with advice on how to put the hospital together when it arrived. Brunel’s design incorporated all that Nightingale had asked for: access to sanitation, ventilation, drainage, and temperature controls. Nightingale referred to the buildings as “those magnificent huts.”