Brunel, Marc Isambard (1769-1849)

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born in Portsmouth as the son of the engineer Marc Brunel. He studied in France where he developed an appreciation for the architecture of the Grand Siècle. In 1822 he entered his father's office and apprenticed with his father on the construction for the Thames Tunnel. His apprenticeship ended when the river broke through the tunneling shield. After the tunnel accident, Brunel entered a competition for the bridge over the Avon Gorge at Clifton. He won the commission in 1831 with his design for a suspension bridge, which, however, was not completed before 1864. In 1833, Brunel was appointed chief engineer of the new Great Western Railway. In this position Brunel generated numerous designs for everything from tunnels, railways and bridges to harbours, prefabricated buildings and introduced strength tests and preservation methods. He completed several ships. In 1837, he designed the Great Western, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic; in 1843, the Great Britain; and in 1853-8, the largest of his vessels, the Great Eastern. His use of iron and the adaptation of new technologies had far reaching effects on the progress of architecture.   His main works are the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, 1836-64; the Hungerford Suspension Bridge, 1841-45; and Temple Meads Station at Bristol, England, c1840.