brunel university london
Uxbridge
In 2016, Brunel celebrated 50 years as a university. However, our history can be
traced back much further to 1798 through our predecessor colleges of Borough
Road College, Maria Grey College, Shoreditch College and the West London
Institute of Higher Education and as well as through Acton Technical College
then Brunel College. Our rise since 1966 has been impressive and our reputation
grows year on year. Now a university of 12,746 students – 3,309 students engaged
in postgraduate and research study – our special approach is to combine academic
rigour with the practical, entrepreneurial and imaginative approach pioneered by
Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The decision to be named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel
was taken after much discussion. Rather than name the new College after a
location, Dr Topping, the first Vice Chancellor of Brunel University (and former
Principal of Brunel College) pleaded that the name should be a well-known person
preferably an engineer or scientist associated in some way with Middlesex or
Acton. Agreement was reached in March 1957 that person would be Isambard Kingdom
Brunel. Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) is one of the great British
engineers of the 19th century. Isambard was born into an industrious family in
1806, with his mother Sophia Kingdom working for the Royal Navy and father Marc
Brunel being a prominent French engineer. Isambard took on formal training as an
engineer and went on to build twenty-five railways lines, over a hundred
bridges, including five suspension bridges, eight pier and dock systems, three
ships and a pre-fabricated army field hospital.To add to this he was a keen
social engineer, building housing estates, churches and hospitals. In order to
learn more about Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his legacy, visit the following
links: Bristol University Brunel Collection - IKB's letters, sketchbooks, etc
Brunel200 - projects, competitions, debates, media programmes and talks to
commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel Museum
of the Great Western Railway SS Great Britain - surviving in the dry dock that
had been built specifically for her design and construction in Bristol There is
also extensive Brunel information on the BBC's History pages
