[TV] Brunel's Britain....

[The Clamp]

Ch 5 now, both parts. It's brilliant. Life and achievements of Brunel. On now.

 

[Weststander]

Got this on. Works done when North America and mainland Europe were light years behind us on engineeering and inventiveness.

 

[Norman Potting]

Great man, as was his dad Marc Brunel. Great British engineers both of them. However, Brunel Snr. was French by birth and could perhaps be viewed as an asylum seeker (option at the time may have been guillotine), son was half French. Legacies that live on are the SS Great Britain, the Great Western mainline, Clifton and Saltash Bridges and the Thames Tunnel. SS Great Britain is a museum piece, the others all remain in active use for their intended purposes.

 

[Foul Play Rocks]

Great man, as was his dad Marc Brunel. Great British engineers both of them. However, Brunel Snr. was French by birth and could perhaps be viewed as an asylum seeker (option at the time may have been guillotine), son was half French. Legacies that live on are the SS Great Britain, the Great Western mainline, Clifton and Saltash Bridges and the Thames Tunnel. SS Great Britain is a museum piece, the others all remain in active use for their intended purposes.

Bloody foreigners. They come over here with their brilliant ideas and genius engineering.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

As for a bridge The CLIFTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE is a work of art and justs sits in so easy on the eye.

 

[theboybilly]

And he was right about Broadguage. Had that been taken on board by all the major railway companies we might not be having to have the arguments about HS2 now. The man was a true genius

 

[Baker lite]

Always love these programs,but get a little sad when you think what our Governments,(whatever colour rosettes They happen to be wearing) have done to our industry,decimated it.

 

[vegster]

I wonder what he would think of how things are constructed today ? It seemed that the Victorians always built with style and to last even if it was a water pumping station.

 

[Norman Potting]

I wonder what he would think of how things are constructed today ? It seemed that the Victorians always built with style and to last even if it was a water pumping station.

Very true, for example the Goldstone pumping station (is it still open to the public. None of this "Health Safety" "nonsense" but one wonders how many poor souls were killed/maimed in constructing these masterpieces?

(Edit) sadly not see http://www.britishengineerium.org/. Might start doing the lottery again!

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

Not one of Brunel's but watched a programme on the Menai Strait bridge today

Bridges really are engineering at it's best

 

[BN9 BHA]

Bridges really are engineering at it's best

Apart from the Newhaven swing bridge when it gets jammed in the open position
Thankfully not very often these days.

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

Apart from the Newhaven swing bridge when it gets jammed in the open position
Thankfully not very often these days.

ha ha yeah,been a victim of that more than once over the years

Remember the old one,with half a dozen men running round in circles to open & close it

 

[BN9 BHA]

ha ha yeah,been a victim of that more than once over the years

Remember the old one,with half a dozen men running round in circles to open & close it

No, I lived in Brighton and don't remember the old one, I've seen the photos though.

Did you go to the Arsenal match and sit in the WSU? I saw someone wearing a Stranglers hat.

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

No, I lived in Brighton and don't remember the old one, I've seen the photos though.

Did you go to the Arsenal match and sit in the WSU? I saw someone wearing a Stranglers hat.

Had a ticket,but never got back in time from France that morning

Perhaps it was Dave Greenfield

 

[BN9 BHA]

Had a ticket,but never got back in time from France that morning

Perhaps it was Dave Greenfield

Not sure he could make the steps.

 

[half time scores]

Wonderful engineer however not a nice person.
Interesting article on the BBC website entitled 'Isambard Kingdom Brunel: The engineering giant with 'short man syndrome'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-43323013

I also read that he had the militia called out on strikers resulting in several being shot.