Asa Binns (3 October 18732 July 1946) was a British mechanical and civil engineer. He trained with hydraulic pump and engine makers before becoming a draughtsman. Binns worked for a period at HMS Chatham Dockyard and rose to become head of their civil engineering works. He later worked on the construction of several major docks in London, including for the

Port of London Authority The Port of London Authority (PLA) is a self-funding public trust established on 31 March 1909 in accordance with the Port of London Act 1908 to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and its ...

. Binns served as president of the Institution of Engineers-in-Charge (1936–37) and the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 120,000 member ...

(1940). He was elected president of the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...

in 1946 but died before he could take office.

Early life and career

Asa Binns was born on 3 October 1873 in Keighley, Yorkshire. He was educated at Keighley Grammar School, the Technical College, Keighley, and

Yorkshire College , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , t ...

, Leeds. Binns afterwards undertook a three-year engineering

pupillage A pupillage, in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan and Hong Kong, is the final, vocational stage of training for those wishing to become practising barristers. Pupillage is similar to an apprenticeship, during which bar ...

with the Leeds hydraulic pump maker Tannett, Walker & Company and the Bradford engine maker Cole, Marchent, and Morley Ltd. During his pupillage he was awarded a Whitworth scholarship. After qualifying Binns was employed as a

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

by the Ipswich agricultural machinery manufacturer

Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies Limited was a major British agricultural machinery maker also producing a wide range of general engineering products in Ipswich, Suffolk including traction engines, trolleybuses, ploughs, lawn mowers, combine harvest ...

and the North Eastern Railway's Hull dockyard. He was appointed draughtsman in the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

Works Department in 1898 and became their chief draughtsman at HM Dockyard Chatham in 1901. Binns was promoted to assistant civil engineer of the dockyard in 1902, the same year he was elected a member of the

(IMechE). In 1903 he was elected an associate member of the

(ICE) and was later given charge of all civil engineering works at the dockyard.

London docks work

Binns left the admiralty and was appointed

resident engineer In general, a resident engineer is a person who works at or from the clients' side of a project. He or she possess a high degree of technical and social skills. One of the main goals of the designated role is to foster knowledge transfer. The role e ...

for the works at

London Docks London Docklands is the riverfront and former docks in London. It is located in inner east and southeast London, in the boroughs of Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Newham, and Greenwich. The docks were formerly part of the Port of L ...

and

St Katharine Docks St Katharine Docks is a former dock and now a mixed-used district in Central London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and within the East End. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, immediately downstream of the Tower of London an ...

in 1906. He worked for the

(PLA, established 1909) from 1910 as resident engineer at the

Surrey Commercial Docks The Surrey Commercial Docks were a large group of docks in Rotherhithe, South East London, located on the south bank (the Surrey side) of the River Thames. The docks operated in one form or another from 1696 to 1969. Most were subsequently fi ...

from 1910 and the £2 million Royal Albert Dock southern extension from 1912. Binns was elected a member of the ICE on 21 January 1913 and in 1914 sat on the IMechE's refrigeration committee, which met to establish new standards for measuring the efficiency of refrigeration machines. He worked on the construction of the King George V Dock which was completed in 1921 and was awarded the IMechE's George Stephenson Gold Medal for a paper on the project. Binns was appointed a major in the

Engineer and Railway Staff Corps The Engineer and Logistic Staff Corps is a part of the Royal Engineers in the British Army Reserve. It is intended to provide advisers on engineering and logistics to the British Army at a senior level. Following its work creating the NHS Nighting ...

, a volunteer unit providing advice to the British Army, on 25 July 1925 and later rose to lieutenant-colonel. He was appointed chief engineer to the PLA in 1928 and was elected to the council of the ICE in 1932. Binns served as president of the Institution of Engineers-in-Charge for the 1936–37 session. He retired from the PLA in 1938, entering private practice with the engineering design firm

Rendel, Palmer and Tritton James Meadows Rendel FRS (December 1799 – 21 November 1856) was a British civil engineer. Early life and career Rendel was the son of the surveyor James Rendel or Rendle and his wife Jane, daughter of the architect John Meadows (died 1791); h ...

, though he continued to work for the PLA on a consultancy basis.

Later life

Binns became president of the IMechE in 1940 and vice-president of the ICE in 1942. He served on numerous ICE committees and was inaugural chairman of the Maritime and Waterways Engineering Division, founded in 1944. Binns was elected president of the ICE on 4 June 1946 but died before the session started in November that year.

William Halcrow Sir William Halcrow (4 July 1883Application for election to AMICE 9 October 1908 – 31 October 1958) was one of the most notable English civil engineers of the 20th century, particularly renowned for his expertise in the design of tunnels and ...

was appointed president in his stead. Binns died in

Newbury, Berkshire Newbury is a market town in the county of Berkshire, England, and is home to the administrative headquarters of West Berkshire Council. The town centre around its large market square retains a rare medieval Cloth Hall, an adjoining half timbere ...

on 2 July 1946. He was married twice, first to Annie Ogden with whom he had two sons and a daughter and later to Sarah Lord.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Binns, Asa 1873 births 1946 deaths British civil engineers British mechanical engineers People from Keighley Engineer and Railway Staff Corps officers