The second greatest Briton of all time...

Work, the weather & DIY have scuppered any plans to get to the coast this week, so my latest walking / history / South West England / Devon blog is focusing on history and the influence of the second greatest Briton of all time (allegedly!) on South Devon.

Every time I drive over the Clifton Suspension bridge, sit on a train as it glides over the Royal Albert Bridge on the way to Cornwall, or stroll along the sea wall at Dawlish, I remember an iconic image of the man who designed and built these amazing structures over 150 years ago. 

The image I remember is of a man in a top hat, standing in front of the chains of a huge ship (below), and I first remember seeing it at school. The man was the incredible and prolific engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel - voted the second greatest Briton of all time (after Winston Churchill) in a BBC poll, beating Darwin, Shakespeare, and even Princess Diana!

The iconic image of Brunel by the launching chains of his final project,
the Great Eastern in 1857. Image courtesy of Wiki Commons. 

Brunel was born in 1806, and being the son of an accomplished French engineer he had already understood the basics of engineering by the time he was eight years old. It was with his father in 1823 at the tender age of 17 that he begin his career in engineering, helping to design and build  the Thames Tunnel. This was just the start of an amazing career, and during his short life (he died at the age of 53) Brunel was to go on to be one the the 19th century's engineering giants, playing a pivotal role in the industrial revolution and leaving a legacy of beautifully designed yet practical structures that are still part of our everyday lives 150 years on. 

One of Brunel's early projects was the now iconic Clifton Suspension bridge, which spans the River Avon at Bristol, which he designed in 1829 and had the longest span of any bridge at the time. However, his status as a brilliant and innovative engineer was secured by his years of work on the Great Western Railway. The GWR was one of the first major railway routes in the world and is still used by millions of passengers every year on train journeys from London to the South West of England along the iconic coastal line at Dawlish.

Brunel's iconic coastal railway at Dawlish - still carrying
passengers to South Devon 150 years on. 

The arrival of the GWR was to have a major impact on the coast of South Devon, especially the growth of tourism. The story of Brunel's Great Western Railway is told in an extract from my book below... 

The coming of the railways

The Great Western Railway (GWR) was one of the wonders of Victorian Britain, and had a huge impact on the South Devon coast when it arrived in the mid-19^th century. It began life in 1833 when Isambard Kingdom Brunel was appointed chief engineer to design a railway from Bristol to London. Although Brunel had no previous experience of railway construction, he had already had his design for the now iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge accepted, and was fast becoming recognised as an innovative and accomplished engineer. The GWR project demanded that Brunel overcome immense engineering challenges, such as the construction of the two mile long Box Tunnel between Bath and Chippenham. The longest tunnel in the world at the time, it took three years to complete and cost the lives of more than 100 navvies. Despite these huge challenges, the railway from London to Bristol opened in 1841.

Bristol merchants were keen to extend the rail link to Exeter, an important commercial centre near to South Devon's ports, and a critical trade link to Europe. In 1836 an act of Parliament authorised the Bristol and Exeter Railway company to build and extension south of Exeter, and Brunel was appointed as chief engineer. The extension was completed in 1844, and the first train, consisting of six carriages and a steam engine called Actaeon. The train arrived in Exeter on the 1^st of May after a five hour journey from London, and was greeted by vast crowds who had travelled from far and wide to see the latest wonder of modern science. By 1846 the line had been extended from Exeter to Newton Abbot, and by 1849 had reached Plymouth, linking much of South Devon directly to London. By 1865 the mainline was extended into Cornwall, and Brunel completed another major engineering feat with the construction of the Royal Albert Bridge. In addition to the mainline, branch lines were built to link it to a number of coastal towns including Torquay, Paignton, Kingswear, Brixham and Exmouth.

The South Devon Railway was built along the banks of the river Exe as far as Dawlish Warren, then it hugged the coast beneath the cliffs to Teignmouth, where it then travelled inland along the river Teign to Newton Abbot. A particularly impressive stretch runs along the sea wall for several miles between Dawlish Warren and Teignmouth, where the railway is wedged between the sea and dramatic red sandstone cliffs. As early as 1859 when the sea broke through defences at Teignmouth, there has been a constant battle to protect the exposed railway line from the power of the sea. After frequent landslips from the cliffs above and breaches by the sea below, several alternative inland diversions were considered in the 1930's, but the outbreak of war meant that these plans came to nothing, and those maintaining the line continue their battle with the elements to this day.

The growth of tourism

The railways were instrumental in bringing affordable travel to ordinary people, and the tourists that came fuelled the developing tourist industry and the growth of many of South Devon's seaside resorts. Although most of the railways were constructed and run by small independent companies, they were gradually taken over by the Great Western Railway. By 1876, the GWR dominated the railways of South Devon, and this heralded the start of mass tourism and a boom time for South Devon's coastal resorts. As a sign of the importance of tourism to both the South West and to the GWR, in 1908 the GWR company began promoting itself as “The Holiday Line” through a series of posters and books. Although a number of South Devon's branch lines failed to survive the Beeching closures of the 1960's, the core of the rail network survived and continues to deliver holiday-makers to South Devon right up to the present day.

If you'd like to find out more about the history of this beautiful part of the South West, then why not consider buying a copy of my book Britain's Heritage Coast, Exmouth to Plymouth (available from www.garyholpin.co.uk). A share of the proceeds goes to help support the South West Coast Path Association, a charity which helps to maintain & improve the South West Coast Path for the benefit of the millions who use it every year, and the many local businesses that benefit from visitors to the Path.