Thomas Brassey
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:''This article is about the civil engineering contractor. For his son of the same name see [[Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey]]''
{{Infobox Person
| name = Thomas Brassey
| image = Thomas Brassey 1830.jpg
| image_size = 180px
| caption = Thomas Brassey in 1830
| birth_date = November 7 1805
| birth_place = [[Buerton, Chester|Buerton]],<br> [[Cheshire]], [[England]]
| death_date = [[December 8]] [[1870]]
| death_place = [[St Leonards-on-Sea]], <br>[[East Sussex]], England
| education =
| occupation = [[Civil engineering]] [[contractor]]
| title =
| spouse = Maria Harrison
| parents = John and Elizabeth Brassey
| children = [[Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey|Thomas]], Harry, Albert
| nationality = [[English people|English]]
| website =
}}
'''Thomas Brassey''' ([[7 November]] [[1805]] – [[8 December]] [[1870]]) was an [[England|English]] [[civil engineering]] [[General contractor|contractor]] and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about one-third of the railways in Britain, and by time of his death in 1870 he had built one mile in every 20 miles of railway in the world. This included three-quarters of the lines in France, major lines in many other European countries and in Canada, Australia, South America and India. He also built the structures associated with those railways, including docks, bridges, viaducts, stations, tunnels and drainage works.
As well as railway engineering, Brassey was active in the development of steamships, mines, locomotive factories, marine telegraphy, and water supply and sewage systems. He built part of the London sewerage system, still in operation today, and was a major shareholder in [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel|Brunel]]'s ''[[SS Great Eastern|The Great Eastern]]'', the only ship large enough at the time to lay the first transatlantic telegraph cable across the North Atlantic, in 1864.
==Background==
The Brassey family traced themselves back to a [[Normans|Norman]] ancestor from the town of [[Brécey]] in [[Basse-Normandie|Lower Normandy]] who crossed to England with [[William I of England|William the Conqueror]] in 1066.<ref>Stacey, p. 9.</ref> Initially their home was at [[Bulkeley]], near [[Malpas, Cheshire|Malpas]] in [[Cheshire]], where they lived for nearly 600 years. At some time, and certainly by 1663, the family moved to Manor Farm in [[Buerton, Chester|Buerton]], a small settlement in the parish of [[Aldford]], {{convert|6|mi|km|0}} south of [[Chester]].<ref>Helps, p. 25.</ref> Thomas Brassey was the eldest son of [[John Brassey]], a prosperous farmer, and his wife Elizabeth.<ref>Walker, p. 11.</ref>
==Early years==
Thomas Brassey was educated at home until the age of 12, when he was sent to a boarding school in Chester. Aged 16, he became an articled [[Apprenticeship|apprentice]] to a land [[surveying|surveyor]] and agent, William Lawton. Lawton was the agent of Francis Richard Price of Overton, [[Flintshire]]. During the time Brassey was an apprentice he helped to survey the new [[Shrewsbury]] to [[Holyhead]] road (this is now the [[A5 road|A5]]), assisting the surveyor of the road. While he was engaged in this work he met the [[engineer]] for the road, [[Thomas Telford]]. When his apprenticeship ended at the age of 21, Brassey was taken into partnership by Lawton, forming the firm of "Lawton and Brassey". Brassey moved to [[Birkenhead]] where their business was established. Birkenhead at that time was a very small place; in 1818 it consisted of only four houses. The business flourished and grew, extending into areas beyond land surveying. At the Birkenhead site a [[brickworks]] and [[lime kiln]]s were built. The business either owned or managed sand and stone [[quarry|quarries]] in [[Wirral Peninsula|Wirral]]. Amongst other ventures, the firm supplied the bricks for building the [[custom house]] for the port which was developing in the town. Many of the bricks needed for the growing city of [[Liverpool]] were supplied by the brickworks and Brassey devised new methods of transporting his materials, including a system similar to the modern method of [[pallet]]ting, and using a gravity train to take materials from the quarry to the port. When Lawton died, Brassey became sole manager of the company and sole agent and representative for Francis Price. It was during these years that he gained the basic experience for his future career.<ref>Helps, pp. 26–27; Walker, pp. 11–14, Stacey, pp. 6–7; Haynes, pp. 57–58.</ref>
==Early contracts in Britain==
Brassey's first experience of civil engineering was in building {{convert|4|mi|km|0}} of the New Chester Road at [[Bromborough]],<ref>Haynes, p. 58.</ref> which included a bridge at [[Saughall Massie]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_method=full%26objectid=16394992%26siteid=50020-name_page.html#story_continue |title=Village bridge the first by engineering giant |accessdate=2007-12-06 |last=Murphy |first=Liam |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-11-21 |year= |month= |format= |work=Daily Post |publisher=Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales Limited. |pages= }}</ref> During that time he met [[George Stephenson]], who required stone for building the [[Sankey Viaduct]] on the [[Liverpool and Manchester Railway]]. Stephenson went with Brassey to a quarry in [[Storeton]], a village near Birkenhead. As a result of that meeting, Stephenson advised Brassey to become involved in building railways. Brassey's first venture into railways was to submit a tender for building the [[Dutton Viaduct]] on the [[Grand Junction Railway]], but he lost the contract to [[William Mackenzie (contractor)|William Mackenzie]], who had submitted a lower bid.<ref>Walker, p. 14.</ref> In 1835 Brassey submitted a tender for building the [[Penkridge Viaduct]], further south on the same railway, between [[Stafford]] and [[Wolverhampton]], together with {{convert|10|mi|km|0}} of track. The tender was accepted, and the work was successfully completed; the viaduct opened in 1837. Initially the engineer for the line was [[George Stephenson]], but he was replaced by [[Joseph Locke]], Stephenson's pupil and assistant. During this time Brassey moved to [[Stafford]]. Penkridge viaduct still stands and carries trains on the [[West Coast Main Line]].<ref>Helps, pp. 28–29. Walker, pp. 16–18.</ref>
On completion of the Grand Junction Railway, Locke moved on to design part of the [[London and South Western Railway|London and Southampton Railway]] and encouraged Brassey to submit a tender, which was accepted. Brassey undertook work on the section of the railway between [[Basingstoke]] and [[Winchester]], and on other parts of the line.<ref>Helps, p. 29.</ref> The following year Brassey won contracts to build the [[Chester and Crewe Railway]] with [[Robert Stephenson]] as engineer and, with Locke as the engineer, the [[Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway]] and the [[Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway|Sheffield and Manchester Railway]].<ref>Helps, pp. 106–107.</ref>
==Early contracts in France==
[[Image:Rouen and Le Harve Railway.jpg|thumb|Opening ceremony of the Rouen and Le Havre Railway in 1844]]
Following the success of the early railways in Britain, the French were encouraged to develop a railway network, in the first place to link with the railway system in Britain. To this end the [[Paris]] and [[Rouen]] Railway Company was established, and Locke was appointed as its engineer. He considered that the tenders submitted by French contractors were too expensive, and suggested that British contractors should be invited to tender. In the event only two British contractors took the offer seriously, Brassey and William Mackenzie. Instead of trying to outbid each other they tendered jointly, and their tender was accepted in 1841. This set a pattern for Brassey, who from then on worked in partnership with other contractors in most of his ventures. Between 1841 and 1844 Brassey and Mackenzie won contracts to build four French railways, with a total mileage of {{convert|437|mi|km|0}}, the longest of which was the {{convert|294|mi|km|0|sing=on}} [[Orleans]] and [[Bordeaux]] Railway.<ref>Helps, pp. 44–45; 106–114.</ref> Following the [[Revolutions of 1848 in France|French revolution]] of 1848 there was a financial crisis in the country and investment in the railways almost ceased. This meant that Brassey had to seek foreign contracts elsewhere.<ref>Walker, p. 51.</ref>
[[Image:Barentin viaduct.jpg|thumb|left|[[Barentin Viaduct]] after rebuilding]]
===The collapse of the Barentin viaduct===
In January 1846, during the building of the {{convert|58|mi|km|0|sing=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]]. 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>Helps, pp. 50–53; Stacey, 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>Walker, pp. 53–54.</ref> During the one year of 1845 he agreed no less than nine contracts in England, Scotland and Wales, with a mileage totalling over {{convert|340|mi|km|0}}.<ref>Helps, 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>Walker, 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]] with [[Glasgow]] and [[Edinburgh]], covering a total distance of {{convert|125|mi|km|0}} and passing over [[Beattock Summit]]. That same year he also began contracts for other railways in Scotland, and in 1846 he started building parts of the [[Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway]] between [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] and [[Liverpool]], across the [[Pennines]].<ref>Walker, pp. 59–62</ref>
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>Helps, pp. 79–82, Walker, 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>Walker, pp. 67–69.</ref> By the end of the "railway mania", Brassey had built one-third of all the railways in Britain.<ref>Walker, p. 167.</ref>
==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 [[Pistoja]] Railway. This was to lead to bigger contracts in Italy, the next being the [[Turin]] and [[Novara]] Railway 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-on-Wye|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]] to [[Barnstaple]] of {{convert|47|mi|km|0}}.<ref>Walker, pp. 69–82, 172.</ref>
==The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada==
[[Image:Victoria Bridge under construction.jpg|thumb|Victoria Bridge under construction]]
In 1852 Brassey took out the largest contract of his career, which was to build the [[Grand Trunk Railway]] of Canada. This line passed from [[Quebec]], along the valley of the [[Saint Lawrence River]], and then to the north of [[Lake Ontario]] to [[Toronto]]. The line totalled {{convert|539|mi|km|0}} in length. The consulting engineer for the project was Robert Stephenson and the company's engineer for the whole undertaking was Alexander Ross. Brassey worked in partnership with Peto, Betts and Sir William Jackson. The line crossed the river at [[Montreal]] by the [[Victoria Bridge (Montreal)|Victoria Bridge]]. This was a [[tubular bridge]] designed by Robert Stephenson and was the longest bridge in the world at the time, measuring some {{convert|1.75|mi|km|0}}. The bridge opened in 1859 and the formal opening ceremony was carried out the following year by the [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Prince of Wales]].<ref>Helps, pp. 123–139; Stacey, pp.17–23.</ref> The construction of the line caused considerable problems. The main problem was the raising of the necessary finance and at one stage Brassey travelled to Canada to appeal personally for assistance. Other difficulties arose from the severity of the Canadian winter, the waterways being frozen for around six months each year, and resistance from Canadian businessmen. The line was an engineering success but a financial failure, with the contractors losing £1 million.<ref>Walker, pp. 82–96.</ref>
===The Canada Works===
The contract for the Grand Trunk Railway included all the materials required for building the bridge and the railway, including the [[rolling stock]]. In order 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 [[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.
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>Stacey, 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>Walker, p. 92.</ref>
==The Grand Crimean Central Railway==
{{main|Grand Crimean Central Railway}}
[[Image:Crimean Railway 4.jpg|thumb|Navvies working on the railway in 1854]]
Brassey played a part in helping the English forces to success in the [[Crimean War]]. The [[Black Sea]] port of [[Sevastopol]] was held by the Russians. The British government, in alliance with the French and the [[Turkish people|Turks]], sent an army of 30,000 to [[Balaklava|Balaclava]], another port in a neighbouring bay of the Black Sea, from which to attack Sevastopol. Sevastopol was [[siege|besieged]] in September 1854 by the British and allied forces. It was hoped that the siege would be short but with the coming of winter the conditions were appalling and it was proving difficult to transport clothing, food, medical supplies and weaponry from Balaclava to the front.<ref>Cooke, pp. 1–15.</ref> When news of the problem arrived in Britain, Brassey joined with [[Samuel Morton Peto|Peto]] and [[Edward Betts|Betts]] in offering to build a railway ''at cost'' in order to transport these necessary supplies. They shipped out the equipment and materials for building the railway, which had been intended for other undertakings, together with an army of navvies to carry out the work.<ref>Cooke, pp. 16–43.</ref> Within seven weeks, in severe winter conditions, the railway from Balaclava to the troops besieging Sevastopol was completed.<ref>Cooke, p64</ref> It then became possible to move supplies easily to the front and Sevastopol was finally taken in September 1855.<ref>Cooke, pp. 106–108.</ref>
==Worldwide expansion==
[[Image:Brassey Barry Kent.jpg|thumb|left|Brassey Steam Engine on the [[Warsaw]]-[[Terespol]] Line, 1866]]
In addition to building more railways in Britain and in other European countries, Brassey undertook contracts in other continents. In South America his railways totalled {{convert|250|mi|km|0}}, in Australia {{convert|132|mi|km|0}}, and in India and Nepal {{convert|506|mi|km|0}}.<ref>Walker, pp. 172–173.</ref>
In 1866 there was a great economic slump, caused by the collapse of the bank of [[Overend, Gurney and Company]], and many of Brassey's colleagues and competitors became insolvent. However, despite setbacks, Brassey survived the crisis and drove ahead with the projects he already had in hand. These included the Lemberg and Czernowicz Railway in Austria which continued to be constructed despite the [[Austro-Prussian War]] which was taking place in the locality.<ref>Walker, pp. 135–142</ref>
From 1867 Brassey's health was beginning to decline, but he continued to negotiate further contracts, including the Czernowicz and Suczawa Railway in the Austrian Empire. In 1868 he suffered a mild stroke but he continued to work and in April 1869 he embarked on an extensive tour of over {{convert|5000|mi|km|0}} in Eastern Europe.<ref name=st27-30>Stacey, pp. 27–30.</ref> By the time of his death he had built one mile in every twenty miles of railway in the world.<ref>Walker, p. 7.</ref>
==Non-railway contracts==
[[Image:Victoria Docks, London.jpg|thumb|Victoria Dock showing the hydraulic lift]]
Brassey's works were not limited to railways and associated structures. In addition to his factories in Birkenhead, he built an engineering works in France to supply materials for his contracts there. He built a number of drainage systems, and a waterworks at [[Kolkata|Calcutta]]. Brassey built docks at [[Greenock]], [[Birkenhead]], [[Barrow-in-Furness]] and London. His London docks were the [[Royal Victoria Dock|Victoria Docks]] which had a water area of over {{acre to km2|100|abbr=yes}}. The contract for this was agreed in 1852 in partnership with Peto and Betts and the docks were opened in 1857. Also included in the contract were warehouses and wine vaults totalling an area of about {{acre to km2|25|abbr=yes}}. The dockside machinery was worked by [[Hydraulics|hydraulic]] power supplied by [[William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong|William Armstrong]]. The dock had links to Brassey's [[London, Tilbury and Southend Railway]] and thereby to the entire British rail system.<ref>Helps, pp. 109, 143.</ref>
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>Helps, 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>Walker, p. 151.</ref>
Brassey gave financial help to Brunel to build his ship ''The Leviathan'', which was later called ''[[SS Great Eastern|The Great Eastern]]'' and which in 1854 was six times larger than any other vessel in the world. Brassey was a major shareholder in the ship and after Brunel's death, he, together with Gooch and Barber, bought the ship for the purpose of laying the first [[Transatlantic telegraph cable]] across the North [[Atlantic]] in 1864.<ref>Stacey, p. 27.</ref>
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>Walker, pp. 152–153.</ref>
==Working methods==
[[Image:Victoria Bridge, Montreal.jpg|thumb|left|Handbill showing [[Victoria Bridge, Montreal|Victoria Bridge]] and the names of the partners]]
In most of Brassey's contracts he worked in partnership with other contractors, in particular with Peto and Betts. The planning of the details of the projects was done by the engineers. Sometimes there would be a consulting engineer and below him another engineer who was in charge of the day-to-day activities. During his career Brassey worked with many engineers, the most illustrious being Robert Stephenson, Joseph Locke and [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]].<ref>Stacey, p. 14.</ref> The day-to-day work was overseen by agents, who managed and controlled the activities of the subcontractors.<ref>Walker, p. 23.</ref>
The actual work was done by labourers, in those days known as [[navvy|navvies]], supervised by gangers (or foremen). In the early days the navvies were mainly English and many of them had formerly worked on building the canals. They were later joined by men from Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The number of Irish workers particularly increased following the [[Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849)|potato famine]]. Brassey paid his navvies and gangers a wage and provided food, clothing, shelter and, in some projects, a lending library. On overseas contracts local labour would be used if it were available, but the work was often done or supplemented by British workers. The agent on the site had overall responsibility for a project. He had to be a man of great capability, working for a fee plus a percentage of the profits, with penalties for late finishing and inducements to complete the work early.<ref>Stacey, pp. 11–13.</ref>
Brassey had considerable skill in choosing good men to work in this way and in delegating the work. Having taken on a contract at an agreed price he would make a suitable sum of money available to the agent to meet the costs. If the agent were able to fulfil the work at a lower cost he could keep the remainder of the money. If unforeseen problems arose and these were reasonable, Brassey would cover these additional costs. He used hundreds of such agents.<ref>Stacey, p. 16–17.</ref> At the peak of his career, for well over 20 years, Brassey was employing on average some 80,000 people in many countries in four continents.<ref>Stacey. p.3.</ref>
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>Stacey, p. 16, Walker, 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>Stacey, p. 14.</ref>
Brassey was given a number of honours to celebrate his achievements, including the French [[Légion d'honneur]], the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]] and the [[Austria]]n Iron Crown (the first time this had been awarded to a foreigner).<ref>Stacey, p. 5.</ref>
==Family==
In his early days in Birkenhead, Brassey came into contact with Joseph Harrison, a forwarding and shipping agent. In 1831 he married Harrison's second daughter, Maria.<ref>Walker, p. 14.</ref> They had three sons, Thomas was born in 1836, Henry in 1840 and Albert in 1844; a fourth son died in infancy.<ref>Stacey, p. 10.</ref> Maria gave Thomas considerable support and encouragement throughout his career. She encouraged him to bid for the contract for Dutton Viaduct and, when that was unsuccessful, to apply for the next available contract.<ref>Walker, pp. 14–15.</ref> Thomas' work led to frequent moves of home in their early years; from Birkenhead to [[Stafford]], [[Kingston upon Thames]], [[Winchester]] and then [[Fareham]]. On each occasion Maria supervised the packing of their possessions and the removal. The Harrison children had been taught to speak French, while Thomas himself was unable to do so. Therefore when the opportunity arose to apply for the French contracts, Maria was willing to act as interpreter and encouraged Thomas to bid for them. This resulted in moves to [[Vernon, Eure|Vernon]] in [[Normandy]], then to Rouen, on to Paris and back again to Rouen.<ref>Stacey, pp. 9–10</ref> Thomas refused to learn French and Maria acted as interpreter for all his French undertakings.<ref>Walker, pp. 39–40</ref> Maria organised the education of their three sons. In time the family established a more-or-less permanent base in Lowndes Square, [[Belgravia]], London.<ref>Stacey, pp. 9–10, 32.</ref>
Brassey's three surviving sons all gained distinction in their own right. [[Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey|Thomas]] became a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] [[Member of Parliament]] and [[Governor of Victoria]] and was created [[Earl Brassey]] in 1911. [[Henry Brassey|Henry]] was [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] [[Member of Parliament]] Member of Parliament for Hastings. His son [[Henry Brassey, 1st Baron Brassey of Apethorpe|Henry]], a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]], was created [[Baron Brassey of Apethorpe]] in 1938. [[Albert Brassey|Albert]] was a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] Member of Parliament for [[Banbury]].
==Later years==
In 1870 Brassey was told that he had cancer but he continued to visit his working sites. One of his last visits was to the [[Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway]], only a few miles from his first railway contract at Penkridge.<ref>Walker, p. 158.</ref> In the late summer of 1870 he took to his bed at his home in St Leonards-on-Sea. There he was visited by members of his work force, not only his engineers and agents, but also his navvies, many of whom had walked for days to come and pay their respects.<ref name=st27-30/>
Also in 1870, Brassey purchased [[Heythrop Hall|Heythrop Park]], a [[baroque]] house situated in an estate of {{acre to km2|450|abbr=yes}} {{convert|15|mi|km|0}} northeast of Oxford as a wedding present for his third son, Albert.<ref>Stacey, p. 33; {{Citation | last =Pitman | first =Joanna | title =A lavish Archer plot in the country with the mystery of a whale skeleton; Hidden Assets. | newspaper =[[Times]] | pages =29 | year = | date =[[September 7]] [[1996]] | url = }}</ref>
On [[8 December]] [[1870]] Thomas Brassey died from a brain haemorrhage in Victoria Hotel, St Leonards and was buried in the churchyard at [[Catsfield]], [[Sussex]] where a memorial stone has been erected. His estate was valued at £5,200,000<ref>Stacey, p. 33.</ref> which consisted of "under £3,200,000 in UK" and "over £2,000,000" in a trust fund. The ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'' describes him as "one of the wealthiest of the self-made Victorians".<ref name=dnb/>
[[Image:Brassey-2.jpg|thumb|225px|Thomas Brassey in his mid-forties]]
==Thomas Brassey, the man==
It is not easy to be objective about the nature of Thomas Brassey's character because the earliest biography by Helps was commissioned by the Brassey family and the latest, rather short, biography was written by his great-great-grandson, Tom Stacey. There is virtually no remaining material of value to a biographer available today. There is no private correspondence, there are no diaries and none of his personal reminiscences.<ref>Stacey, p. 3</ref>
Judging by his achievements alone, he must have been a remarkable man. He had enormous drive, an ability to remain calm despite enormous pressures, and extreme skill in organisation. He was a man of honour who always kept his word and his promise. He had no interest in public honours and refused invitations to stand for Parliament. Although he accepted honours from France and Austria, he mislaid the medals and had to request duplicates to please his wife.<ref>Stacey, p. 3–5.</ref> His great-great-grandson considers that he was successful because he inspired people rather than drove them.<ref>Stacey, p. 31.</ref>
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>Walker, 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>Cooke, 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>Walker, pp. 23–34.</ref> He would at times undertake contracts of little benefit to himself in order to provide work for his navvies.<ref>Walker, 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>Walker, 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>Walker, 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>Walker, p. 167.</ref>
==Commemorations==
[[Image:Brassey tribute stones wiki.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Brassey Tribute Stones, Bulkeley]]
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>{{cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=470393 |title=Images of England: Cathedral Church, Chester |accessdate=2008-02-15 |publisher=[[English Heritage]] }}</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).<ref name=cht>{{cite web |url=http://www.chestertourist.com/thomasbrassey.htm |title=Pictures from the Thomas Brassey Bicentenary |accessdate=2007-12-07 |publisher=CheshireTourist.com }}</ref>
In November 2005, Penkridge celebrated the bicentenary of Brassey's birth<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.penkridge.org.uk/brassey.htm |title=Thomas Brassey - the great Railway Builder of the 19th Century |accessdate=2007-01-31 |last=Haynes |first=Doug|authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Penkridge Community Information Resource |pages= }}</ref> and a special commemorative train was run from Chester to Holyhead.<ref name=cht/> In January 2007, children from Overchurch Junior School in [[Upton, Cheshire|Upton]] celebrated the life of Brassey.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thisiswirral.co.uk/display.var.1155989.0.school_tribute_to_engineer.php |title=School Tribute To Engineer |accessdate=2007-01-30 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=[[2007-01-30]] |year= |month= |format= |work=[[Wirral Globe]] |publisher=[[Newsquest Media Group]] |pages= }}</ref> In April 2007 a plaque was placed on Brassey's first bridge at Saughall Massie.<ref>{{cite journal | quotes = | last =Crossley | first =Brian | authorlink = | date = | year =2007 | month =June | title =Thomas Brassey Bi–Centenary | journal =Panel for Historical Engineering Works Newsletter | volume = | issue =114 | pages =3 | publisher=Institution of Civil Engineers | issn = | pmid = | doi = | id = | url =http://www.ice.org.uk/downloads//Newsletter%20Jun%2007.pdf | language = | format = | accessdate =2007-12-06 | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote = }}</ref> In the village of [[Bulkeley]], near [[Malpas, Cheshire|Malpas]], Cheshire, is a tree called the 'Brassey Oak' on land once owned by the Brassey family. This was planted to celebrate Thomas' 40th birthday in 1845. It was surrounded by four inscribed [[sandstone]] pillars tied together by iron rails but due to the growth of the tree these have burst and the stones have fallen. They have been recovered and in 2007 were replaced in a more accessible place with an information board.<ref>{{cite journal | quotes = | last =Hastings | first =Idina | authorlink = | coauthors =Mike Dixon | date = | year =2007 | month =May | title =The Thomas Brassey Tribute Stones Project | journal =The Sandstone News | volume = | issue =9 | pages =1–3 | issn = | pmid = | doi = | id = | url =http://www.sandstonenews.org.uk/Newsletters/Issue9/May2007.pdf | language = | format = | accessdate =2007-12-06 | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote = }}</ref>
==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist|3}}
===Bibliography used for notes===
{{refbegin}}
*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]].
*{{cite book | last =Cooke | first =Brian | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =The Grand Crimean Central Railway | publisher =Cavalier House | date =1990 | location =Knutsford | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =0-9515889-0-7 }}
*{{cite journal | last = Haynes | first = Doug | year = 2005-2006 | title = The Life and Work of Thomas Brassey | journal = Cheshire History | volume = 45 | pages = 57–66 | issn = 0141-8696 }}
*{{cite book | last =Helps | first =Arthur | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =The Life and Works of Mr Brassey |origyear=1872 | publisher =Nonsuch | date =2006 | location =Stroud | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =1845880110 }}
*{{cite book | last =Stacey | first =Tom | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Thomas Brassey: The Greatest Railway Builder in the World | publisher =Stacey International | date =2005 | location =London | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =1905299095 }}
*{{cite book | last =Walker | first =Charles | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Thomas Brassey, Railway Builder | publisher =Frederick Muller | date =1969 | location =London | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =0584103050 }}
{{refend}}
==Further bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book | last =Faith | first =Nicholas | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =The world the railways made | publisher =Bodley Head | date =1990 | location =London | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =0-370-31299-6 }}
*{{cite book | last =Joby | first =R. S | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =The Railway Builders: Lives and Works of the Victorian Railway Contractors | publisher =David & Charles | date =1983 | location =Newton Abbot| pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =0-7153-7959-3 }}
*{{cite book | last =Millar | first =John | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =William Heap and his Company | publisher = | date =1976 | location =West Kirby | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =0951096516 }}
{{refend}}
{{portal|Cheshire}}
==External links==
*[http://www.glias.org.uk/news/217news.html#B Lecture on Joseph Locke and Thomas Brassey]
*[http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Thomas_Brassey Article in ''[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]]'' 11th ed.]
==See also==
*[[List of structures built by Thomas Brassey]].
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brassey, Thomas}}
[[Category:1805 births]]
[[Category:1870 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths by cerebral hemorrhage]]
[[Category:English civil engineering contractors]]
[[Category:People from Cheshire]]
[[Category:People in rail transport]]
[[Category:British people of the Crimean War]]
[[Category:Brassey family|Thomas Brassey]]