Brunel in South Wales: Volume 1, In Trevithick’s Tracks – Book Review

In popular consciousness Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel is associated with projects such as the creation of the Great Western Railway and the Clifton Suspension Bridge. His work in South Wales is far less well known, though equally fascinating and important.

Brunel in South Wales: Volume 1, In Trevithick’s Tracks goes some way to correct this imbalance. Written by Stephen K. Jones it was first published by Tempus Publishing in 2005. Republished in 2010 and 2012 by The History Press, it is the first of a three-book series examining the works of Brunel in South Wales.

Brunel in South Wales: A story of two halves

An initial five chapters of Jones’s book examines two introductory aspects of the story. The first is the early life and career of Brunel both with his family and on his own. The second involves the explosion of iron making in the South Wales Heads of the Valleys area in the late eighteenth century and the ensuing transportation problems.

The latter half of the book (also five chapters) focuses specifically on Brunel’s railway constructions, mainly the Taff Vale. A concluding chapter considers the railway legacy of Brunel following his early death in 1859. The book is well illustrated with both black and white and colour images.

Two books poles apart: the same effective structure

Though using a remarkably similar device in a non-fiction book, Jones is not quite as extreme. The story of the Taff Vale Railway starts a little less than halfway through this volume.  Prior to this the development of Brunel’s career and the evolution of transport and industry in South Wales highlight the state of the industrial revolution at that point.

The Taff Vale Railway: the creation of Brunel or his assistants?

The specific points of contact such as Brunel’s employment of Welsh ironworks to create the iron chains of the Hungerford Bridge along with his GWR fame led to his employment as engineer of the Taff Vale. But his success was far from certain since George and Robert Stephenson actually enjoyed a closer relationship with South Wales, including the provision of locomotives at Merthyr and Tredegar.

Jones brings out the ambiguous relationship of Brunel with his assistants, especially George Bush and Charles Bourns. Just how much of the engineering was actually done by Brunel is not entirely clear. One intriguing issue was the choice of gauge. Bush argued for 5 feet while Brunel himself abandoned his 7 feet broad gauge to insist on narrow (standard) gauge of 4 ft 8¹/₂ in. The irony was the proof provided by Bourns that in fact 7ft would have worked perfectly well.

In Summary

A book of two halves. The first part provides an overview of engineering progress during the first few decades of the nineteenth century. The second part deals with the design, development and building of the Taff Vale Railway. An absorbing read.

Outline Contents

• An engineering dynasty
• Merthyr: iron capital
• Trevithicks dragon
• Grooves of change
• Iron link
• Railway resurgence
• Engineer-in-chief
• Engineering works
• Openings and blockades
• Working the line
• Beyond Brunel 

About the Author

Born in Cardiff, Stephen K. Jones writes and lectures on local and industrial history, photography and Brunel and his works.

(From The History Press)

Related reviews

Isambard Kingdom Brunel by Robin Jones
Taff Vale Railway Miscellany by John Hutton