Who was Isambard Kingdom Brunel?
Marc Isambard Brunel his father, an engineer was born in Normandy, France. His mother Sophia was the orphan daughter of William Kingdom a naval contractor from Plymouth in the far southwest of England. Marc and Sophia met in Paris, France in 1792 where she had been sent by her eldest brother and guardian to learn French. After a brief romance they were separated by the upheavals of the French Revolution and Marc chose to flee to America where he worked as an engineer and designer, eventually being given the post of Chief Engineer in the city of New York. After a series of entrepreneurial business affairs lasting six years Marc Brunel travelled to England and found Sophia in London. Then following his trade as an engineer and businessman Marc settled in Portsea a district of Portsmouth, a naval dockyard town about 70 miles /112 kms south from London. Marc and Sophia married in London in November 1799 and Portsea became their first home. It was some time later that the town became the re
Civil and Mechanical Engineer. Date and Place of Birth: 9th April 1806. Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Family Background: Only Son of Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, Engineer who had escaped France during the Revolution. Education: Several English Private Schools and the College of Caen in Normandy and the College Henri Quatre, Paris. Chronology/Biography of Isambard Kingdom Brunel: 1822: Entered his father’s office. First independent work was on the designs for the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, though this structure was never completed in his lifetime. 1826: Engineer in charge of the Thames Tunnel in Rotherhithe. 1827: (18th May) The river broke into the tunnel and Brunel made descents in a diving bell to decide how to proceed. 1828: (12th January) A second flooding of the tunnel left him injured trying to save the lives of several of the workmen. Further work was halted for seven years due to financial difficulties. 1830: Wins second Clifton Suspension Bridge competition. Present at
