Beesker recommends 'Brunel University' as the world's
best website on Isambard Kingdom Brunel
ABOUT 'BRUNEL UNIVERISTY'
Brunel University, which
is based in west London, England, has about 14,000 students, of which 3,000 are
engaged in postgraduate and research study. It was named after the great 19th
century engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and aims in the spirit of its namesake
to combine academic rigour with a practical, entrepreneurial, and imaginative
approach.
The Brunel University website has a section on Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It
provides a biographical article, and illustrated articles on several of his
major projects. These include: The Great Eastern, The Great Western, The Great
Britain, Saltash Bridge, Maidenhead Bridge, and Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born in 1806, the son of a distinguished French
engineer, Sir Marc Brunel. He was appointed engineer to the newly formed Great
Western Railway at the age of 26, and went on to build 1,200 miles of railway in
Britain, Ireland, Italy, and Bengal. His three great ships were pioneering. His
other works included docks, viaducts, tunnels, and a remarkable prefabricated
hospital, complete with air-conditioning and drainage systems, for use in the
Crimean War.