Thomas Andrew Walker (15 October 1828 – 25 November 1889) was an English

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

contractor. He worked on major infrastructure projects in the latter half of the 19th century, including the

Severn Tunnel The Severn Tunnel ( cy, Twnnel Hafren) is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn. It was constructed by the Great Western ...

and the London

District Railway The Metropolitan District Railway, also known as the District Railway, was a passenger railway that served London from 1868 to 1933. Established in 1864 to complete an " inner circle" of lines connecting railway termini in London, the first par ...

Early life and education

Walker was born at

Brewood Brewood is an ancient market town in the civil parish of Brewood and Coven, in the South Staffordshire district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. Located around , Brewood lies near the River Penk, eight miles north of Wolverhampton c ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. He was educated at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

Notable projects

After his work on the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rai ...

of Canada in 1852 and extensive surveys in Russia, Egypt and Sudan, in the years 1863–1865, he was offered, and accepted, the management of the construction of the District Railway in London. He was then entrusted with the still more difficult work of completing the Severn Tunnel at the request of Sir

John Hawkshaw Sir John Hawkshaw FRS FRSE FRSA MICE (9 April 1811 – 2 June 1891), was an English civil engineer. He served as President of the Institution of Civil Engineers 1862-63. His most noteworthy work is the Severn Tunnel. Early life He was born ...

. Walker was engaged for seven years in the construction of this tunnel. When he began work on the project he had already accumulated considerable experience in railway survey and construction throughout Canada, Russia, Egypt and England. In writing his memoirs of his work on the Severn Tunnel he states: 'Sub-aqueous tunnels have recently become quite the fashion. One such experience as the Severn Tunnel, with its ever-varying and strangely contorted strata, and the dangers from floods above and floods below, has been sufficient for me. One sub-aqueous tunnel is quite enough for a lifetime.' The tunnel was completed in 1887, having a length of 4 miles 628 yards (). Other works that he undertook were the Barry Dock and Railway, and the Preston Dock, and in addition, he carried out the contract for the Buenos Aires Harbour Works with

, resident engineer James Murray Dobson and Joseph Talbot engineer. His final undertaking was the construction of the

Manchester Ship Canal The Manchester Ship Canal is a inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary at Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it generally follows the original routes of the river ...

which has been described as the greatest engineering achievement of Victorian times. It is certainly an immense achievement and transformed an inland city into a major port. Walker was engaged as the sole contractor in charge of the construction and he divided the thirty-six-mile route into nine (soon reduced to eight) sections and appointed an engineer to take charge of each. However, he died before the completion of this project.

Personal life

Walker died of

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied b ...

, at his home in

Caerwent Caerwent ( cy, Caer-went) is a village and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about five miles west of Chepstow and 11 miles east of Newport. It was founded by the Romans as the market town of ''Venta Silurum'', an important settle ...

, Monmouthshire, on 25 November 1889 and was buried at St Stephen's Church. Walker was known to be an excellent employer, looking after the needs of his workforce as best as he could and provided accommodation, meeting halls and hospital facilities. Upon his death, he left nearly £1 million. His nephew Charles Hay Walker, of Falkland Park,

South Norwood South Norwood is a district of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, Greater London and formerly in the historic county of Surrey. It is located 7.8 miles (12.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross, north of Wood ...

was also a civil engineer with major works and docks constructed in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. After his death, Walker's contracts were continued by his Executors(scan)
/ref> and subsequently by the formation of C. H. Walker & Co Ltd. by Thomas's nephew Charles.

References

External links

Monmouthshire Library weblink
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Thomas Andrew 1828 births 1889 deaths English civil engineers Alumni of King's College London People from South Staffordshire District People associated with transport in London