Stepney Folk |
The Brunels Sir Marc Isambard
Brunel (1769-1849), a
French Royalist who had fled the French Revolution. He
was born at Hacqueville, near Rouen,escaped from Paris to
the United States in 1793. He spent 6 years in the French navy. He was appointed to survey for the canal from Lake Champlain to the Hudson Albany in 1794. Architect in New York and its Chief Engineer. At the house of Mr. Carpentier, the American consul at Rouen, and before leaving for New York, he met a young English girl, Sophia Kingdom. He returned to Europe 1799 and married Sophia Kingdom (whose brother was to become Under-Secretary to the Navy Board) of Plymouth and they settled in Rotherhythe. He worked at Portsmouth Dockyard. Worked for the government and constructed various public works at Woolwich arsenal, Chatham dockyard and made experiments in steam navigation on the Thames. Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-59), his son, was born at Portsmouth. His daughter, Sophia MacNamara Brunel, who married Sir Benjamin Hawes, M.P., (1797-1862), Under- Secretary for War, Chairman and Director of the Thames Tunnel Company.. Bankrupt in 1821 following a fire at his sawmills at Battersea and then imprisoned for bankruptcy. In 1818 he patented a tunneling machine from an idea he had while in prison (watching woodworm at work). In 1825 work began on the main shaft, a tunnel of twin arches between Wapping and Rotherhythe (1825-43) a distance of 1200 feet. (Richard Trevethick had attempted to build a pedestrian tunnel (1802) under the Thames between Limehouse and Rotherhythe but had to abandon it when it was almost completed.) It wasn't long before he encountered trouble with water oozing through to the workings, a gas explosion, illness amongst the workers. 10 men died during the time it was being built. Shortage of money meant a cut in men's wages which brought about a 3 day strike and then the roof collapsed. His health started failing and the work on the tunnel was taken over by his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Despite difficulties encountered, including several occasions when the Thames broke through due to the crown of the tunnel being only 16 feet below the river bed (including a roof collapse in 1828 from which Isambard just managed to escape). The tunnel was completed 2 December 1841 and he was knighted. It was opened by Queen Victoria in March 1843 by which time the tunnel had earned the nickname 'The Great Bore'. Financially it was a failure because there was not enough money to build the carriage ramps and it was eventually bought by the East London Railway for the London to Brighton route and incorporated into the Underground system in 1869. It is still in use on the service from Whitechapel to New Cross. The main shaft is still used to reach the platform at Wapping Station. Marc Isambard Brunel died in London.
ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL (1806-59) Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-59) was born at Portsmouth, son of Sir Marc Brunel. He was sent to the College of Caen in Normandy when he was 14. Designed the Great Western 1838 , the first steamship to cross the Atlantic and the Great Britain 1845, the first ocean screw steamer (which can be seen at Bristol). He had helped to plan the Thames Tunnel with his father (in whose office he was working). Planned the Clifton Suspension Bridge 1829-31, completed 1864 five years after his death. Appointed engineer to the Great Western Railway , and constructed all the tunnels, bridges and viaducts on that line including the Albert Bridge over the Tamer, the crossing between Devon and Cornwall. Constructed or improved several docks around the country including Bristol, Monkwearmouth 1831, Cardiff and Milford Haven. In 1836 he married Mary Horsley. The Great Eastern was built under his direction 1853-58 and it was at that time the largest vessel ever built, 692 feet long and weighing 27, 384 tons. (Until then the largest ship built had been 5,500 tons.) She was thought to be too large to launch in the normal manner and was built side on to the the river at the Millwall yards of John Scott Russell, thought by many to be the greatest shipbuilder of his time. There were considerable disagreements between the engineer and the ship-builder. She stuck fast on launch day and it took three months to move her and eventually on 31 January 1858 the Great Eastern was launched Amongst the many duties she was asked to perform during her existence, cable laying was just one. In 1984 when a new housing estate was being prepared on the Scott Russell yard one of the two slipways on which the Great Eastern were launched was uncovered. (Part extracted from Chambers Biographical Dictionary and part from an article in the Sunday Telegraph of 21 November 1993.)
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