Featuring in the collection are some of Britain’s most well-known engineering figures including:
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel – Known for building dockyards, the Great Western Railway, a series of steamships including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering. Brunel’s membership form for the Civil Engineers is included in the collection, dated 27 January 1829.
- Sir John Rennie – In 1815 Rennie assisted his father, who was another famous engineer, in the erection of Southwark Bridge, and later undertook the construction of London Bridge in 1824, which was opened in 1831, the same year he was knighted. His membership was passed by the council of the Mechanical Engineers in 1844 after ‘many years in the profession’.
- Christopher Hinton – A British nuclear engineer and supervisor of the construction of Calder Hall, the world's first large-scale commercial nuclear power station. Born in 1901, Hinton’s application to join the Mechanical Engineers is in the records, dated 1921.
ICE President, Professor Barry Clarke said: “The launch of this collection serves as an important reminder to us to not forget the truly astounding work of our engineering ancestors. The work of iconic figures like Brunel and Rennie whose achievements stand proud to this day and who paved the way for the civil engineers of this generation.
“I hope that access to the ICE’s records will not only help to inform people about the engineers who created so much of the infrastructure we still rely on today, but also inspire them to delve into the history of the profession and perhaps even discover their own civil engineering past.”
Members of both institutions can search the records for free via specially provided links. For further information please visit www.ice.org.uk
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