J. W. Wilson (Joseph William Wilson; 11 October 1829 – 5 November 1898) was an English engineer. He was a consulting engineer in the construction of piers, and founded the School of Practical Engineering at Crystal Palace School.

Life

Early life and career

Wilson was born in

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...

, son of the Rev. William Wilson, vicar of Walthamstow. He was intended for the church, and was entered for Wadham College, Oxford; preferring a career in engineering, he was placed as a pupil with his cousin Charles Fox, of the firm Fox and Henderson. At the end of his pupilage he was an assistant at the firm, in charge of the machinery used for the preparation of timber in the construction of the Crystal Palace, the building housing the

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary The Crystal Palace, structure in which it was held), was an International Exhib ...

of 1851.1898 Obituary (Institution of Mechanical Engineers) in "Joseph William Wilson"
''Grace's Guide''. Retrieved 3 April 2021."Obituary: Joseph William Wilson"
Institution of Civil Engineers. icevirtuallibrary.com. Retrieved 3 April 2021.

Oldbury and Banbury

In 1852, in partnership with his brother-in-law Samuel H. F. Cox, Wilson established at Oldbury (now in

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

) the Oldbury Engineering Works. It employed 300 to 400 men, and made pumping engines and other machinery, including machinery for the goldfields of California. For health reasons, he retired from the Oldbury works. He became a consulting engineer at the Timber Works in Banbury,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, and patented in 1855 a circular gouge and disc-paring tool for timber machinery, for which he received a medal from the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

London

In 1857 Wilson established himself as a consulting engineer in London, and was involved in the construction of piers including those at Teignmouth and Bognor Regis. In 1872, with the support of George Grove, secretary of Crystal Palace School, he founded there the School of Practical Engineering, which combined theory and practice of engineering. Wilson was its principal for 26 years. He was a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a fellow of the

Royal Colonial Institute The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting confli ...

. Wilson died at his home in Kenley in 1898.

Family

His son Joseph William Wilson (1851–1930) was co-founder and first vice-principal of the Crystal Palace School of Engineering, and succeeded his father as principal in 1898; his son Maurice Wilson (1862–1936) became principal in 1924."Maurice Wilson"
''Grace's Guide''. Retrieved 4 April 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, J. W. 1829 births 1898 deaths English civil engineers 19th-century British engineers People from Walthamstow