Isambard Kingdom Brunel: life of the week

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HistoryExtra

History

4.3 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2024

⏱️ 42 minutes

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Summary

From pioneering railways and awe-inspiring bridges to ocean-spanning passenger ships and flatpack hospitals, there was no engineering challenge too ambitious for Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The impressive creations of this cigar-chomping polymath changed the face of Victorian Britain, but, as Tim Bryan tells Ellie Cawthorne in today's 'Life of the week' episode, not all of his innovative ideas were a success. (Ad) Tim Bryan is the author of Iron, Stone and Steam: Brunel's Railway Empire (Amberley, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Iron-Stone-Steam-Brunels-Railway/dp/1398112690/ref=sr_1_1?crid=6ZGR6WI6DAVX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9TpLNZDaoSmGAiUuw0Z9Wg.kwSt3aLudrlvenUjG2s6OxnOA9-x0sffJJYdBG6EzaQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=Iron%2C+Stone+and+Steam+tim+bryan&qid=1722596505&s=books&sprefix=iron+stone+and+steam+tim+bryan%2Cstripbooks%2C76&sr=1-1&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before we start this History Extra podcast, we want to tell you a bit about this week's sponsor, Warner Hotels.
0:08.0	BBC History Magazine is running two history weekends at Warner Hotels in October and November this year.
0:13.9	So if you were looking for a relaxing and historical UK escape this autumn, let me mark your card about these weekends.
0:21.9	Ideal for history lovers. Each free night stay includes breakfast, dinner and live entertainment,
0:27.7	plus fascinating talks and Q&As with top historians such as Fernredale, Ruth Goodman,
0:34.0	Janina Ramirez, Mark Morris, Gordon Carrera and Tracey Borman. What a treat.
0:39.4	Find out more and book your break now at warnerhotels.com.com.uk forward slash history.
0:49.3	Hello and welcome to Life of the Week, where leading historians delve into the lives of some of history's most intriguing and significant figures.
0:59.1	From ancient Egyptian pharaohs and medieval warriors to daring 20th century spies.
1:08.3	From pioneering railways and awe-inspiring bridges to ocean-spanning passengerships and flat-packed hospitals,
1:16.3	there was no engineering challenge too ambitious for Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
1:21.7	The impressive creations of this cigar-chomping polymath changed the face of Victorian Britain.
1:29.7	But, as Tim Bryan told Ellie Cawthorne in today's Life of the Week episode, some of his ideas proved to be too far
1:35.3	ahead of their time. Thank you for joining me, Tim, in our studio in Bristol today. And actually,
1:41.1	it's quite an appropriate place to be recording today's episode because
1:44.6	we're discussing the life of a man who's heavily associated with the city, Isimbard Kingdom
1:51.0	Brunel. So to start us off, before we go any further, could you give us a very brief rundown
1:57.7	of who he was and why he was so significant.
2:08.0	Isamar Brunel was probably the best known Victorian engineer, architect, polymath,
2:13.2	a man of the times, he was a man who changed the face of the country through his bridges, through his tunnels, his ships and his railways.
2:18.5	He was an amazing engineer who's left a legacy for future generations and you can still
2:23.7	see his heritage today.
	...

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