Brunel's Birthday: six of his best local works

Brunel's Birthday: six of his best local works

Posted on: 09 Apr 2024

Happy birthday to Isambard Kingdom Brunel! In celebration of the extolled engineer, we’ve put together a list of some of his greatest local works in and around Bristol.

 

Isambard Kingdom Brunel – he is a bard of engineering, a hero to the kingdom, and he brewed up some truly impressive feats of engineering. Whilst there’s a pretty famous example of his work spanning a certain gorge (more on that later), both tourists and residents alike are often unaware of Brunel’s other great works.

So, in tribute to the great, stovepiped man himself, we’re presenting a list of some of Brunel’s most impressive works in and close to Bristol.

 

The Clifton Suspension Bridge

 

Let’s get this one out the way – if you’re in Bristol and you HAVEN’T heard about Brunel’s greatest achievement, that’s frankly impressive. The bridge is a marvel, spanning a gorge that many thought to be too wide to bridge without significant supports throughout.

After a fraught judging process (during which final judge Thomas Telford rejected all designs and declared his own to be superior, in a bizzare civil engineering coup d'état), Brunel came out on top with his marvellous example of a suspension bridge – although it sadly never received the then-fashionable sphinxes he planned to flank it.

 

The S.S Great Britain

The one other engineering project that most have already heard of, the SS Great Britain is one of the most famous steamships of the Victorian era, and perhaps second only to the Titanic as one of the most famous steamships of all time.

The SSGB was one of the most advanced ships of her day – the first to combine iron construction and a screw propellor. Now, the SSGB sits in dry dock, converted into a museum that hosts regular events, from on-deck summer music sessions, to even Halloween ‘haunted ship’ events.

The Box Tunnel

The Box Tunnel may seem unassuming, but it has a surprising number of accolades. Upon it’s completion in 1841, it was the world’s longest railway tunnel at 1.83 miles (2.95km) – and it’s western and eastern portals are Grade-II* and Grade-II listed respectively.

It’s been said that on this day, Brunel’s birthday (April 9), that the sun can be seen shining through from one end of the tunnel to the other...Unfortunately, GWR disproved this in 2017, because apparently overpriced trains and constant cancellations weren’t making life miserable enough.

Cumberland Swing Bridges

These bridges sit over the main entrance to the Cumberland Basin, and were Brunel’s first moving bridges. One of the bridges was moved from the south entrance lock to the north entrance dock in 1873, but was replaced by the Plimsoll Swing Bridge in the 1960s.

The bridge now sits on the side of the dock, where it was in danger of being forgotten as one of Brunel’s significant works. However, “Brunel’s other bridge” (as it has become known), has since been placed on the Heritage at Risk Register, and received a grant of £62,000 in 2019 for its restoration.

Bristol Temple Meads

Brunel was heavily involved in the Great Western Railway, and so is credited with many of the stations along the line – not least of all the grand and gothic Temple Meads. A Grade-I listed structure, the station was one of the largest initial stations along the GWR route, and boasts some truly impressive and stunning architecture.

Bath Spa

Less well known as one of Brunel’s stations, Bath Spa (now the main station in Bath), is the second-busiest station in the South-West after Temple Meads.

Built in 1840, the building is Grade-II* listed, and is built in an asymmetrical Tudor style. Not far from the station are two bridges and a viaduct, all also designed by Brunel, and listed.

Read more:

  • Historical: Wells Stone Carving Festival returns this Early May Bank Holiday

  • Bristol Neighbourhood Guide: Clifton

Article by:

Patrick Bate

Patrick is a filmmaker with so much Bristol in his blood the white blood cells are graffiti'd. Educated at the Northern Film School in Leeds, he’s returned home to be a Videographer and Reviewer for 365Bristol and BARBI. When he’s not messing about with cameras, he enjoys playing guitar, spending far too much time on tabletop RPGs, and being an awful snob about cider. Have a look at his work here, or get in touch at patrickb@365bristol.com.