BRUNEL ISAMBARD KINGDOM: (1806-1859) British civil engineer, one of the greatest figures of the ...

BRUNEL ISAMBARD KINGDOM: (1806-1859) British civil engineer, one of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution. A good A.L.S., I K Brunel, three pages, 4to, n.p., 25^th October 1830, to Mademoiselle de Villiers. The young Brunel writes a charming letter to his correspondent, commencing ‘Being accused of want of gallantry towards a fair foreigner I really must beg leave to address her personally in my defence. I beg therefore Mademoiselle that you will believe and assure your father that I regret sincerely and particularly on your account that I should not have had the good fortune to meet you when you have done me the honour of calling’, further explaining that his father (‘whom I presume Monsieur de Villiers particularly wished to see’) is out of town and as a consequence he is much engaged ‘and have really been from home every time that you have honoured me with a call except the last when I was engaged by appointment with some persons whom I could not possibly leave’, remarking ‘I trust therefore my character for politeness will not suffer in your estimation and that you will not leave this country with any prejudice against my countrymen the English’ and also adding ‘I beg you will inform Mr. de Villiers that I have no alteration whatsoever to suggest to his description of the tunnel but any questions which he may wish to put I shall be most happy to answer – by writing if he wishes it –‘. VG

Marc Isambard Brunel (1769-1849) French-born British engineer who constructed the Thames Tunnel and was the father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The Thames Tunnel was built between 1825 and 1843 by Marc Isambard Brunel and his son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, using the tunnelling shield newly invented by the elder Brunel and Thomas Cochrane. The tunnel, beneath the River Thames, was originally designed for horse-drawn carriages, but was mainly used by pedestrians and became a tourist attraction. In 1869 it was converted into a railway tunnel and is still used today as part of the London Overground railway network.