Who was Isambard Kingdom Brunel?
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a famous English engineer of the 1800s who designed bridges, tunnels, railways and ships. His works include the Great Western Railway, the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain.
Brunel was born in Portsmouth in 1806. His father, Marc Brunel, was also an engineer, and Isambard worked with him on the Thames Tunnel, the first tunnel built under a navigable river.
In 1833, Brunel became chief engineer of the Great Western Railway, which connected London to Bristol. He designed stations, bridges and tunnels, including Box Tunnel and Paddington station.
Ships and bridges
Brunel designed three famous ships: the SS Great Western, the SS Great Britain, the first iron-hulled screw-propelled ocean liner, and the SS Great Eastern, the largest ship of its time.
He designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol and the Royal Albert Bridge over the River Tamar.
Brunel was famous for his top hat and cigar. He died in 1859, aged 53.
In 2002, Brunel came second in a BBC poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, behind Winston Churchill.