Victorian Engineering

by L.T.C. Rolt

L T C Rolt was an engineer and pioneer of industrial history; in this book he combined these two passions to give us a fascinating account of the men who 'made' Britain. From Brunel to Telford, he takes us on a journey from the first railway tracks being laid down to bridges spanning hitherto unimagined lengths, through to the 'invention' and mastery of the gas and electricity, which we take for granted today. The Victorians were at the forefront of modern technology in their time, but often came to see it as a blight on their landscape and struggled to adapt to the fast pace of this new industrial era. In this book, Rolt not only examines the creations that made Britain's empire great, but also how the age of optimism turned to one of disillusionment with many of our inventors finding fame and fortune abroad. This unrivalled insight into our industrial heritage is compulsory reading for anyone wanting to appreciate the foundations on which our modern lives were built.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Victorian, Science, Architecture

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 1986

About the author

Lionel Thomas Caswall Rolt (usually abbreviated to Tom Rolt or L.T.C. Rolt) was a prolific English writer and the biographer of major civil engineering figures including Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Thomas Telford. He is also regarded as one of the pioneers of the leisure cruising industry on Britain's inland waterways, and as an enthusiast for both vintage cars and heritage railways.

Reviews

[Ashley Panter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good facts but ugh

[Stephen Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting overview of the engineering progress made during the 19th century - indeed, "Nineteenth Century Engineering" might have been a more appropriate title, as there is a fair bit pre-Victoria here.

The big names and big engineering are covered, as are the less obvious (to me at least) ideas and concepts which helped Britain make such rapid progress and, for a time, lead the world.

As with all of Rolt's books, there is a campaigning undertone, but it doesn't significantly impact on the job of historian that he should have restricted himself to in such volumes.