Thomas Brassey
(1805-1870)
Died aged 65
Wikidata WikipediaThomas Brassey (7 November 1805 – 8 December 1870) was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about one-third of the railways in Britain, and by time of his death in 1870 he had built one in every twenty miles of railway in the world. This included three-quarters of the lines in France, major lines in many other European countries and in Canada, Australia, South America and India. He also built the structures associated with those railways, including docks, bridges, viaducts, stations, tunnels and drainage works. As well as railway engineering, Brassey was active in the development of steamships, mines, locomotive factories, marine telegraphy, and water supply and sewage systems. He built part of the London sewerage system, still in operation today, and was a major shareholder in Brunel's The Great Eastern, the only ship large enough at the time to lay the first transatlantic telegraph cable across the North Atlantic, in 1864. He left a fortune of over £5 million, equivalent to about £600 million in 2020.
DbPedia
Commemorated on 5 plaques
Thomas Brassey 1805-1870, Born near Chester. The Worlds foremost Builder of Railways in the 19th Century.
Chester Railway Station, Chester, United Kingdom where they built
This plaque commemorates the 150th anniversary of the opening of Chester General railway station on 1st August 1848. It was designed by Francis Thompson and C. H. Wild and built by the world famous railway contractor Thomas Brassey of Chester
Chester Railway Station, Chester, United Kingdom where they built
Thomas Brassey 1805-1870. Born: Buerton by Chester. Engineer. 'the most important civil engineering contractor in the world during the nineteenth century'. Built some 2061 miles of railway in Britain and 4462 miles overseas plus other major construction contracts including harbours, warehouses, clocks, waterworks and drainage systems. Built Chester General Station - opened 1848.
Chester Railway Station, Chester, United Kingdom where they built
Thomas Brassey 1805-1870 the world's foremost builder of railways in the 19th century. His Canada Works opened 1853 adjacent to this site
Canada Works, Wirral Waters, Birkenhead, United Kingdom where they lived near
Saughall Massie Bridge built 1829 Thomas Brassey (1805-1870) his first bridge
Saughall Road, Saughall Massie, United Kingdom where they built (1829)