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{{about|the civil engineering contractor|his son|Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey|his grandson|Thomas Brassey, 2nd Earl Brassey}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=
{{Infobox person
| name = Thomas Brassey
| image = File:Brassey-2.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Buerton, Chester
| death_date = {{
| death_place = [[St Leonards-on-Sea]], East Sussex, England
| education =
| occupation = Civil engineering [[General contractor|contractor]]
| title =
| spouse = {{marriage|Maria Harrison|1831}}
|
|
| children = {{hlist|[[Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey|Thomas]]|[[Henry Brassey|Harry]]|[[Albert Brassey|Albert]]}}
| website =
}}
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== Background ==
== Early years ==
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=== The collapse of the Barentin Viaduct ===
In January 1846, during the building of the {{convert|58|mi|km|0|adj=on}} long Rouen and [[Le Havre]] line, one of the few major structural disasters of Brassey's career occurred, the collapse of the [[Barentin Viaduct]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=JPL 3_112 Archives Départementales de la Seine-Maritime |url=https://www.archivesdepartementales76.net/ark:/50278/2884c29c775b001ebe7703834c24c811/dao/0/1?id=https://www.archivesdepartementales76.net/ark:/50278/2884c29c775b001ebe7703834c24c811/canvas/0/1 |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Archives de la Seine-Maritime |language=fr-fr}}</ref> The viaduct was built of brick at a cost of about £50,000 and was {{convert|100|ft|m|0}} high. The reason for the collapse was never established, but a possible cause was the nature of the [[Calcium oxide|lime]] used to make the [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]]. The contract stipulated that this had to be obtained locally, and the collapse occurred after a few days of heavy rain. Brassey rebuilt the viaduct at his own expense, this time using lime of his own choice. The rebuilt viaduct still stands and is in use today.<ref>{{Harvnb|Helps|2006|pp=50–53.}}; {{Harvnb|Stacey|2005|p=17.}}; Haynes, pp. 59–60.</ref>
== "Railway mania" ==
During the time Brassey was building the early French railways, Britain was experiencing what was known as the "[[railway mania]]", when there was massive investment in the railways. Large numbers of lines were being built, but not all of them were built to Brassey's high standards. Brassey was involved in this expansion but was careful to choose his contracts and investors so that he could maintain his standards.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=53–54.}}</ref> During the one year of 1845 he agreed to no less than nine contracts in England, Scotland and Wales, with a mileage totalling over {{convert|340|mi|km|0}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|Helps|2006|p=107.}}</ref> In 1844 Brassey and Locke began building the [[Lancaster and Carlisle Railway]] of {{convert|70|mi|km|0}}, which was considered to be one of their greatest lines. It passed through the [[River Lune|Lune Valley]] and then over [[Shap]] Fell. Its summit was {{convert|916|ft|m|0}} high and the line had steep gradients, the maximum being 1 in 75. To the south the line linked by way of the [[Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway|Preston–Lancaster]] line to the Grand Junction Railway.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=55–59.}}</ref> Two important contracts undertaken in 1845 were the [[Trent Valley Railway]] of {{convert|50|mi|km|0}} and the [[Chester and Holyhead Railway|Chester and Holyhead]] line of {{convert|84|mi|km|0}}. The former line joined the [[London and Birmingham Railway]] at [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]] to the Grand Junction Railway south of [[Stafford]] providing a line from London to Scotland which bypassed Birmingham. The latter line provided a link between London and the ferries sailing from [[Holyhead]] to Ireland and included Robert Stephenson's [[Tubular bridge|tubular]] [[Britannia Bridge]] over the [[Menai Strait]]. Also in 1845 Brassey received contracts for the [[Caledonian Railway]] which linked the railway at [[Carlisle railway station|Carlisle]] with [[Glasgow]] and [[Edinburgh]], covering a total distance of {{convert|125|mi|km|0}} and passing over [[Beattock Summit]]. His engineer on this project was [[George Heald]].<ref>{{Harvnb|
A contract for the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]] was agreed in 1847, with [[William Cubitt]] as engineer-in-chief, although much of the work was done by William's son Joseph, who was the resident engineer. Brassey was the sole contractor for the line of {{convert|75.5|mi|km|0}}. A particular problem was met in the marshy country of [[The Fens]] in providing a firm foundation for the railway and associated structures. Brassey was assisted in solving the problem by one of his agents, Stephen Ballard. Rafts or platforms were made of layers of [[Faggot (wood)|faggot-wood]] and [[peat]] [[sod]]s. As these sank, they dispersed the water and so a firm foundation was made.<ref>{{Harvnb|Helps|2006|pp=79–82.}}, {{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=63–66.}}</ref> This line is still in use and forms part of the [[East Coast Main Line]]. Also in 1847 Brassey began to build the North Staffordshire Railway. By this time the "railway mania" was coming to an end and contracts in Britain were becoming increasingly more difficult to find.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=67–69.}}</ref> By the end of the "railway mania", Brassey had built one-third of all the railways in Britain.<ref name="Walker 1969 p=167">{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|p=167.}}</ref>
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== Expansion in Europe ==
Following the end of the "railway mania" and the drying up of contracts in France, Brassey could have retired as a rich man. Instead he decided to expand his interests, initially in other European countries. His first venture in Spain was the [[Barcelona]] and [[Mataró]] Railway of {{convert|18|mi|km|0}} in 1848. In 1850 he undertook his first contract in the Italian States, a short railway of {{convert|10|mi|km|0}}, the [[Prato]] and [[Pistoia]] Railway. This was to lead to bigger contracts in Italy, the next being the [[Turin–Milan railway line|Turin–Novara line]] of {{convert|60|mi|km|0}} in 1853, followed by the [[Central Italian Railway]] of {{convert|52|mi|km|0}}. In Norway, with [[Samuel Morton Peto|Sir Morton Peto]] and [[Edward Betts]], Brassey built the [[Oslo]] to [[Bergen]] Railway of {{convert|56|mi|km|0}} which passes through inhospitable terrain and rises to nearly {{convert|6000|ft|m|0}}. In 1852 he resumed work in France with the [[Mantes-la-Jolie|Mantes]] and [[Caen]] Railway of {{convert|133|mi|km|0}} and, in 1854, the Caen and [[Cherbourg-Octeville|Cherbourg]] Railway of {{convert|94|mi|km|0}}. The Dutch were relatively slow to start building railways but in 1852 with Locke as engineer, Brassey built the [[Dutch Rhenish Railway]] of {{convert|43|mi|km|0}}. Meanwhile, he continued to build lines in England, including the [[Welsh Marches Line|Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway]] of {{convert|51|mi|km|0}}, the [[Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway]] of {{convert|50|mi|km|0}}, the [[London, Tilbury and Southend Railway]] of {{convert|50|mi|km|0}} and the [[North Devon Railway]] from [[Minehead|Crediton]] to [[Barnstaple]] of {{convert|47|mi|km|0}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=69–82, 172.}}</ref>
== The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada ==
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===The Canada Works===<!-- "Canada Works" redirects here -->
The contract for the Grand Trunk Railway included all the materials required for building the bridge and the railway, including the [[rolling stock]]. To manufacture the metallic components, Brassey built a new factory in Birkenhead which he called ''The Canada Works''. A suitable site was found by George Harrison, Brassey's brother-in-law, and the factory was built with a quay alongside to take ocean-going ships. The works was managed by George Harrison with a Mr. Alexander and William Heap as assistants. The [[Machining|machine]] shop was {{convert|900|ft|m|0}} in length and included a [[blacksmith]]s' shop with 40 [[Metallurgical furnace|furnace]]s, [[anvil]]s and [[steam hammer]]s, a [[coppersmith]]s' shop, and fabrication, [[Woodworking|woodwork]] and [[pattern]] shops. There was also a well-stocked library and a reading room for all the workforce.{{cn|date=November 2022}}
The fitting shop was designed to manufacture 40 [[locomotive]]s a year and a total of 300 were produced in the next eight years. The first locomotive, given its trial in May 1854, was named ''Lady Elgin'', after the wife of the [[Governor General of Canada]] of the time, the [[James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin|Earl of Elgin]]. For the bridge hundreds of thousands of components were required and all were manufactured in Birkenhead or in other English factories to Brassey's specifications. These were all stamped and coded, loaded into ships to be taken to Quebec and then by rail to the site of the bridge for assembly.<ref>{{Harvnb|Stacey|2005|pp=18–19.}}</ref> The central tube of the bridge contained over 10,000 pieces of iron, perforated by holes for half a million [[rivet]]s, and when it was assembled every piece and hole was true.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|p=92.}}</ref>
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In 1861 Brassey built part of the [[London sewerage system]] for [[Joseph Bazalgette]]. This was a stretch of the Metropolitan Mid Level Sewer of {{convert|12|mi|km|0}} which started at [[Kensal Green]], passed under [[Bayswater Road]], [[Oxford Street]] and [[Clerkenwell]] to the [[River Lee (England)|River Lea]]. It was one of the earliest ventures to use steam cranes. The undertaking was considered to have been one of Brassey's most difficult.<ref>{{Harvnb|Helps|2006|pp=143–144.}}</ref> The sewer is still in operation today. He also worked with Bazalgette to build the [[Victoria Embankment]] on the north bank of the [[River Thames]] from [[Westminster Bridge]] to [[Blackfriars Bridge]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|p=151.}}</ref>
Brassey gave financial help to Brunel to build his ship ''
Brassey had other ideas which were ahead of his time. He tried to interest the governments of the United Kingdom and Europe in the idea of a tunnel under the [[English Channel]] but this came to nothing. He also wanted to build a [[canal]] through the Isthmus of [[Darién Province|Darién]] (now the [[Isthmus of Panama]]) but this idea similarly had no success.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=152–153.}}</ref>
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Despite this he had neither an office nor office staff, dealing with all the correspondence himself. Much of the detail of his works were held in his memory. He travelled with a personal valet and later had a cashier. But all his letters were written by him; it is recorded that on one occasion after the rest of his party had gone to bed, 31 letters had been written by Brassey overnight.<ref>{{Harvnb|Stacey|2005|p=16.}}; {{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=23–24.}}</ref> Although he won a large number of contracts, his bids were not always successful. It has been calculated that for every contract awarded, around six others had been unsuccessful.<ref name="Stacey 2005 p=14"/>
Brassey was given a number of honours to celebrate his achievements, including the French [[
==Marriage and children==
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Walker, in his 1969 biography, tried to make an accurate assessment of Brassey using Helps and other sources. He found it difficult to discover anyone who had a bad word to say about him, either during his life or since.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=159–168.}}</ref> Brassey expected a high standard of work from his employees; Cooke states that his "standards of quality were fastidious in the extreme".<ref>{{Harvnb|Cooke|1990|p=21.}}</ref> There can be no doubt about some of his qualities. He was exceptionally hardworking, and had an excellent memory and ability to perform mental arithmetic. He was a good judge of men, which enabled him to select the best people to be his agents. He was scrupulously fair with his subcontractors and kind to his navvies, supporting them financially at their times of need.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=23–34.}}</ref> He would at times undertake contracts of little benefit to himself to provide work for his navvies.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|p=165.}}</ref> The only faults which his eldest son could identify were a tendency to praise traits and actions of other people he would condemn in his own family, and an inability to refuse a request.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=161–162.}}</ref> No criticism of him could be found from the engineers with whom he worked, his business associates, his agents or his navvies. He paid his men fairly and generously.<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|1969|pp=162–165.}}</ref>
The ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'' states "His greatest achievement was to raise the status of the civil engineering contractor to the eminence already attained in the mid-nineteenth century by the engineer".<ref name="dnb">Brooke, David 'Brassey, Thomas (1805–1870)', ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, October 2006 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3289], accessed 29 January 2007.</ref> Walker regards him as "one of the giants of the nineteenth century".<ref name="Walker 1969 p=167"/>
== Commemorations ==
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None of his three sons became involved in their father's work and the business was wound up by administrators. The sons created a memorial to their parents in [[St Erasmus]]' Chapel in [[Chester cathedral]]. This consists of a backcloth to the [[altar]] inscribed to their parents' memory, and a [[Bust (sculpture)|bust]] of their father to the north of the altar.<ref>Haynes, p. 64.</ref> The memorial is by [[Arthur Blomfield|Sir Arthur Blomfield]] and the bust by M. Wagmiller.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1376398 |desc=Cathedral Church, Chester |access-date=15 February 2008 }}</ref> There is also a bust of Thomas in Chester's [[Grosvenor Museum]] and [[Commemorative plaque|plaques]] to his memory in [[Chester railway station|Chester station]]. Streets named after him in Chester are Brassey Street and Thomas Brassey Close (which is off Lightfoot Street). By the waterworks in Boughton, Chester. There are three street names in a row off the main road which spell 'Lord' 'Brassey' of 'Bulkeley'.<ref name=cht>{{citation |url=http://www.chestertourist.com/thomasbrassey.htm |title=Pictures from the Thomas Brassey Bicentenary |access-date=7 December 2007 |publisher=CheshireTourist.com }}</ref>
In November 2005, Penkridge celebrated the bicentenary of Brassey's birth<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.penkridge.org.uk/brassey.htm |title=Thomas Brassey – the great Railway Builder of the 19th Century |access-date=31 January 2007 |last=Haynes |first=Doug
In 2019 a blue plaque was installed by Conservation Areas Wirral on the remaining structure of his Canada Works building in Beaufort Road, now part of the Wirral Waters area in Birkenhead.<ref name="Blue-plaque">{{cite web |last1=Manning |first1=Craig |title=Blue Plaque honouring Thomas Brassey unveiled at Wirral Waters |url=https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/17722516.blue-plaque-honouring-thomas-brassey-unveiled-at-wirral-waters/ |website=Wirral Globe |publisher=Newsquest Media Group Ltd |access-date=17 July 2019}}</ref>
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== Statue ==
The Thomas Brassey Society (http://www.thomasbrasseysociety.org) is planning the design and erection of a statue of Thomas Brassey outside Chester Railway Station. The planned date for the statue to be unveiled at Chester train station,is April 2025.
<ref>(http://www.thomasbrasseysociety.org)</ref>
== See also ==
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* {{citation | last =Stacey | first =Tom | title =Thomas Brassey: The Greatest Railway Builder in the World | publisher =Stacey International | year =2005 | location =London | isbn =1-905299-09-5 }}
* {{citation | last =Walker | first =Charles | title =Thomas Brassey, Railway Builder | publisher =Frederick Muller | year =1969 | location =London | isbn =0-584-10305-0 }}
* {{citation |title=Richard Price-Williams, 1827–1916 |website=Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) |url=https://www.imeche.org/about-us/imeche-engineering-history/honorary-fellows/1866-1930 |ref={{sfnref|Price-Williams obituary}} }}
{{refend}}
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[[Category:Brassey family|Thomas Brassey]]
[[Category:People educated at The King's School, Chester]]
[[Category:19th-century English businesspeople]]
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