Eminent engineers

Civil and mechanical engineer George Stephenson's work in civil and mechanical engineering greatly influenced our railway system. He envisioned a national network of tracks with a standard width and gentle slopes. Many of the routes he planned and the structures he…

Civil and mechanical engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel is known as an engineering genius. His Great Western Railway was built for speed and efficiency, and his bold ideas and record-breaking structures are still important today. He combined great creativity with a daring…

Robert Stephenson built on the considerable achievements of his father, George. His forward thinking enabled the significant expansion of railways during the ‘railway mania’ of the mid nineteenth century. His expertise in both civil and mechanical engineering established the concept of the railway which developed in this country, and was then exported to the world. 

Civil Engineer William Henry Barlow was a civil engineer famous for his large-scale projects in the late 19th century. He designed the impressive train shed roof at St Pancras station, which was the largest in the world when built. After a…