27 November 2024 6pm

Brunel and Bristol

Tim Bryan (Director – Brunel Institute)

It is no exaggeration to argue that Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s arrival in Bristol in 1829 transformed not only his career and reputation, but also the landscape of the city itself. Despite never living in Bristol, Brunel spent almost three decades there and always maintained an affection for the city which had launched his career. The talk will focus on Brunel’s civil, maritime and railway engineering legacy: his designs for the Clifton Suspension bridge, his pioneering Great Western Railway and the lines that spread out from the city, his influence on the development of the docks and Floating Harbour and the two Bristol steamships the SS Great Western and SS Great Britain.

Tim Bryan is Director of the Brunel Institute and author of more than 20 books on railway and transport heritage subjects including two Brunel titles; the most recent ‘Iron, Stone & Steam: Brunel’s Railway Kingdom’ was published in November 2023.