Best brunel biography

This week I’ve been reading L.T.C. Rolt’s “Isambard Kingdom Brunel: The definitive biography of the engineer visionary, and Great Briton”. The book was written in 1957, it comes with a substantial foreword highlighting the unrivalled access that Rolt had to the Brunel family papers referring back to Samuel Smiles, an early biographer of the Victorian engineers, as an inspiration. It also contains a couple of provisos as to how current thinking differs from Rolt’s book, slightly in Rolt’s dismissal of one of Brunel’s contemporary critics and more substantially in his accusation that his business partner, John Scott Russell, was largely responsible for the enormous difficulties faced in the construction of the ship SS Great Eastern.

The book is divided into three parts: the first covering Brunel’s early life, marriage and training. The second his role in the Great Western Railway and the third in his ship building activities.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel lived 1806-59; he had a French father, Marc Brunel who had fled France following the Revolution and an English mother, Sophia Kingdom. Marc Brunel was a significant engineer in his own right, responsible for one of the earliest production lines (for sailing “block” manufacture). Before the age of sixteen the young Isambard was apprenticed to Henry Maundslay (in London) an engineer and Abraham-Louis Breguet (in Paris) a maker of chronometers, watches and scientific instruments – both men exceedingly highly regarded in their field.

Isambard’s first engineering job was as the onsite engineer for the Thames Tunnel which his father had designed, at the time Isambard was 20. The tunnelling was enabled by his father’s invention of the tunnelling shield, tunnelling seems a generous description of the process – really it was “building a brick tube slightly beneath (and sometimes not) the floor of the Thames River”. The whole enterprise was highly dangerous, with the

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?

1. 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. Wo

The Greater Genius? A biography of Marc Isambard Brunel by Harold Bagust with a foreword by  Professor Heinz Wolff.

At a special price to support the Brunel Museum!

In this book, the first major biography dedicated to Sir Marc’s life and work since 1970, Harold Bagust narrates Brunel’s life from his birth in France, through his struggle for recognition in Britain, to his ultimate acceptance and success and reassesses his pivotal role in establishing Britain’s industrial success in the 19th century. The author’s well-researched text is supplemented by complete details of Sir Marc’s impressive range of patent applications.

The perfect gift for a Brunel fan who wants to broaden their knowledge. Though often overshadowed by his more famous son, this book makes a good case for giving Marc the recognition he deserves.

THERE IS LITTLE DISAGREEMENT THAT ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL WAS A TOWERING GENIUS OF THE VICTORIAN AGE. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MAN BEHIND THE REPUTATION?

In his time Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the world’s greatest engineer.
His list of achievements is truly breathtaking: the Thames Tunnel, the first underwater tunnel in the world; the SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven ship; the Clifton Suspension Bridge, then the longest span of any bridge in the world; and the Great Western Railway.
History has been kind to his memory: many of his creations still exist and he is lauded by historians as a truly ‘Great Briton’.

In his full-scale biography Collin Maggs presents a portrait of a complex, ambitious and determined genius. But the Brunel that emerges is not without flaws.

He made mistakes, both personal and technical – he wasn’t always right but never admitted he was wrong. Drawing on Brunel’s diaries, letter sand business papers, we see the real Isambard, a more human figure, emerging from behind the towering structures and machines he created.

Author: Colin Maggs
Format: Paperback