Adjacent to platform 1 at Paddington Station lies the statue of a man that many have passed in their train journeys to and from the west of London. When we took our two daughters to Paddington Station to show them the place where the story of Paddington Bear comes from it was on a different pace than the ordinary hectic nature of most journeys. This slower pace allowed me to more carefully scrutinize my surroundings.
Tucked in connection between the taxi stand and platform 1 lies the statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The name conveys a sense of strength that is appropriate to a man to who helped connect Paddington Station with Wales and the Southwest of England. As an acclaimed engineer responsible for the design of tunnels, bridges, viaducts and even ships he continually developed innovative solutions that were a mark of the Industrial Revolution.
In Isambard's short life of only 53 years he had a remarkable involvement in most of the major civil engineering works of his time. He helped the the Great Western Railway to connect with Bristol. He was involved in the development of many of Britain's major docks. He designed the "Great Western", the first steam ship to engage in transatlantic service. On your next journey from Paddington Station take time to ponder the many civily engineering feats that make your train ride possible and if you get a chance, take a moment to look at this landmark located between platform 1 and the taxi stand.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/brunel_kingdom_isambard.shtml
Paddington Station & Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
0
comments
0
comments
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
