I.K Brunel - Quick facts

 

 

 

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a British engineer.

He was noted for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, and important bridges.

Brunel's first notable achievement was the part he played with his father in planning the Thames Tunnel from Rotherhithe to Wapping, completed in 1843.

In 1831, Brunel's designs won the competition for the Clifton Suspension Bridge across the River Avon. Construction began the same year but it was not completed until 1864.

As well as bridges, tunnels and railways, Brunel was responsible for the design of several famous ships. The 'Great Western', launched in 1837, was the first steamship to engage in transatlantic service. The 'Great Britain', launched in 1843, was the world's first iron-hulled, screw propeller-driven, steam-powered passenger liner. The 'Great Eastern', launched in 1859, was designed in cooperation with John Scott Russell, and was by far the biggest ship ever built up to that time, but was not commercially successful.

Brunel was also responsible for the redesign and construction of many of Britain's major docks, including Bristol, Monkwearmouth, Cardiff and Milford Haven.

Some 143 years after his death in 2002, Brunel was placed second in a BBC public poll to determine the "100 Greatest Britons".

In 2006, the bicentenary of his birth, a major programme of events celebrated his life and work under the name Brunel 200.