Steam, railways, bridges and ships
How steam power changed Britain, and the engineer who built a railway, bridges and three record-breaking ships.
Jump to: Steam | Brunel | The railway | Bridges | Ships
Steam and industry
In 1712 Thomas Newcomen unveiled a steam engine for pumping water out of deep mines. British Library: The Industrial Revolution By 1800 perhaps 2,000 steam engines were at work in Britain. British Library: The Industrial Revolution
By 1815 over 2,000 miles of canals were in use in Britain. British Library: The Industrial Revolution Many people left the countryside to find work in towns and cities. British Library: The Industrial Revolution
A working day of 12 hours was not uncommon in factories. British Library: The Industrial Revolution Many children were sent from workhouses or orphanages to work long hours in factories. British Library: The Industrial Revolution
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a British engineer, born in Portsmouth on 9 April 1806. He died on 15 September 1859. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel He was resident engineer on the Thames Tunnel, under his father, when work began in 1825. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel
The Great Western Railway
In 1833 he was made chief engineer of the Great Western Railway. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel His broad-gauge railway had rails 2 metres (7 feet) apart. It led to the famous “battle of the gauges”. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Without the railway and the telegraph, her long stays at Osborne and Balmoral would have been impossible. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Victoria, widowhood
Tunnels and bridges
His first notable railway works were the Box Tunnel and the Maidenhead Railway Bridge. His last were the Chepstow and Saltash (Royal Albert) bridges. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel One of Brunel’s designs was used for the Clifton Suspension Bridge over the Avon Gorge in Bristol (1830–63). Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Three giant ships
His three ships, the Great Western (1837), Great Britain (1843) and Great Eastern (1858), were each the largest in the world when launched. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel The Great Western, a wooden paddle steamer, was the first steamship to run a regular service across the Atlantic. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel
The Great Britain had an iron hull and was the first large ship driven by a screw propeller. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel No ship was bigger than the Great Eastern for 40 years. It laid the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel