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Isambard Kingdom Brunel by Lis Seddon 15 Sept 2009
Isambard Brunel 8 April 1806 09.55 LMT+00.04Portsmouth, UK50 N48' 001W05'
Bridges Clifton Suspension Bridge spans Avon Gorge, (right) linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. Brunel is perhaps best remembered for the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. Spanning over 700 ft (210 m), and nominally 200 ft (61 m) above the River Avon, it had the longest span of any bridge in the world at the time of construction. Brunel submitted four designs to a committee headed by Thomas Telford, but Telford rejected all entries, proposing his own design instead. Vociferous opposition from the public forced the organising committee to hold a new competition, which was won by Brunel. Afterwards, Brunel wrote to his brother-in- law, the politician Benjamin Hawes: "Of all the wonderful feats I have performed, since I have been in this part of the world, I think yesterday I performed the most wonderful. I produced unanimity among 15 men who were all quarrelling about that most tiklish subject— taste". Work on the Clifton bridge started in 1831, but was suspended due to the Queen Square riots caused by the arrival of Sir Charles Wetherell in Clifton. The riots drove away investors, leaving no money for the project, and construction ceased. Brunel did not live to see the bridge finished, although his colleagues and admirers at the Institution of Civil Engineers felt it would be a fitting memorial, and started to raise new funds and to amend the design. Work recommenced in 1862 and was completed in 1864, five years after Brunel's death. The Clifton Suspension Bridge still stands today. It supports approximately 4 million cars crossing the River Avon every year. The 50 pence toll helps to pay for upkeep and repairs on the bridge.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a British engineer. He is best known for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering. Though Brunel's projects were not always successful, they often contained innovative solutions to long-standing engineering problems. During his short career, Brunel achieved many engineering "firsts", including assisting in the building of the first tunnel under a navigable river and development of SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven ocean-going iron ship, which was at the time (1843) also the largest ship ever built. His steamship the SS Great Eastern played a significant part in laying the first transatlantic telegraph cable in 1865. Brunel suffered several years of ill health, with kidney problems, before succumbing to a stroke at the age of 53 years. Some 143 years later in 2002, Brunel placed second in a BBC public poll to determine the "100 Greatest Britons". In 2006, the bicentenary of his birth, a major programme of events celebrated his life and work under the name Brunel 200.
Brunel's chart is on the left. For a designer and engineer such as he was, it's not surprising to see a perfect trine from Jupiter in Capricorn to Mercury in Taurus . Jupiter also squared Mars suggesting that at times he was too impulsive and liable to take on more than he could handle. Saturn, as ruler of Capricorn is conjunct Uranus, the planet of innovation and breakthroughs. They opposed his Sun in Aries at the top of his chart (fame) indicating not only his pioneering qualities but also the obstacles he encountered along the way in realising his projects. That his personal relationships would have taken second place to his work is seen by the square to Chiron in the 7th house of partnerships. This is emphasised by Venus in Pisces square the Moon in Sagittarius. Today is the 150 anniversary of his death. As a mark of respect the lights on the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain will be dimmed from 7.30pm.
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