Junior SCHOOLS All about Isambard Kingdom All about Record-breaking ships

Brunel: engineer, entrepreneur and designer Brunel’s SS It is 175 years since Brunel’s SS Great Great Eastern. You can visit Britain was launched in . the SS Great EARLY n 19 July 1843, the SS Great Britain was Britain in STARTER Bristol. Olaunched in Bristol. At 98 metres long, it was the Isambard Kingdom Brunel largest ship in the world at the time. This magnifi cent would o en get up at 3am creation was the work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, to take a horse-drawn a 19th-century engineer who designed ships, stagecoach to work. Before the SS Great Britain, Brunel had already , and railway lines. designed the SS Great Western, which The SS Great Britain is said to have set the launched in 1837. It was the fi rst steam- standards for the design of modern ships, shaping the powered ship to regularly cross the Atlantic future of passenger travel on a large scale –it could Ocean, travelling on its fi rst voyage from carry hundreds of people over great distances. In Bristol to New York in 15 days – half the time it 1874 it took travellers to Australia, on a journey that took sailing ships to make the same crossing. took about 60 days. It remained in service until 1933. In 1858, 15 years after SS Great Britain was The ship eventually returned to Bristol on 19 July launched, Brunel’s SS Great Eastern took to the 1970, 127 years to the day after it was launched. water. The ship was designed to sail to India, but it was too big to dock anywhere and Who was Brunel? eventually was put to work sailing to the US. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on 9 April 1806. His Being Brunel love of engineering was infl uenced by his Earlier this year, a new museum dedicated father, Marc Isambard Brunel, who was also to the life and legacy of Brunel opened in an engineer and inventor. Brunel worked with Bristol – the city in which he carried out his father on the ambitious project of digging much of his work. The museum houses the a under the . He later most signifi cant collection of his items in the devoted his life to the creation of bridges, world, with lots of personal train stations, tunnels, bridges and ships. His artefacts on display, own son, Henry, also became an engineer. including a school report A painting from 1821 and some of of Brunel. his drawing tools. The museum is next to SS Great Britain, so visitors can fi nd out about Brunel’s inventions before setting foot on one of his most DID YOU famous ships. For KNOW? DID YOU more, head to The le ers SS stand tinyurl.com/ for . KNOW? A bell from the SS Brunel also designed TWJ-brunel Great Western. London’s Paddington Royal Albert Bristol Temple Meads Station Station, inwhich 1854. opened The tunnel was a huge Brunel’s The was When Brunel designed Bristol This was the fi rst tunnel tourist attraction. the last structure that Brunel Temple Meads railway to be built under a major oversaw the completion of. station, it had just two river. More than a million amazing He died on 15 September platforms – one for arrivals people used the London 1859, just four months after and another for departures. walkway, which it was fi nished. The railway It opened on 31 August 1840, connected to inventions bridge connects , in but since then it has been , within three Brunel became famous for the ships he , to , in expanded many times. The months of it opening in built, but he is also responsible for a , across the River The Royal Albert Bridge station now operates 14 1843. In 1913, it became

©THE WEEK JUNIOR, DENNIS PUBLISHING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALAMY · ©THE WEEK JUNIOR, DENNIS PUBLISHING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. GASSON · ADAM · REX SHUTTERSTOCK GETTY IMAGES number of incredible structures, some of Tamar. The 666 metre-long is 666 metres long. platforms. It’s the largest and part of the London which are still standing to this day. bridge is still in use today. oldest station in Bristol. Underground system.

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