Happy 250th Birthday Sir Marc Brunel!
Marc Brunel, the father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel was one of the most innovative engineers of his day. He was born on April 25th 1769 Hacqueville, France. He joined the French Navy but had to flee France because of his outspoken royalist views. He emigrated to America where he became Chief Engineer of the port …
Decorating our fish and learning about the Thames tunnel
Week 2, day 4: Today we began by making invitations for our parents for tomorrow’s Fancy Fair. Ten we started making our paper mache fish colourful by covering them in small pieces of tissue paper to make scales. With eyes, fins and a tail stuck on, our fish are complete! We were then invited for …
Poetry and origami: playscheme ’18
Day 3, week 2: Today we all made paper origami boats. We decorated our paper before folding them into the right shape. Then we made an acrostic poem all together before making our own ones, and decorating them. We then took a trip to the river to do some sketching of what we saw. After …
Brunel Museum makes an entrance with new underground venue
Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s legacy in London continues as his first ever project opens as the capital’s latest cultural attraction. Ever the showman, Brunel organised underground fairs and banquets inside the Thames Tunnel – once described as the Eighth Wonder of the World – in the mid-nineteenth century. He would approve of the transformation of his …
Brunel the Gardener, Famous Engineer, Farmer’s Son
Brunel’s Grand Entrance Hall stands in landscaped gardens, stocked with shrubs and trees chosen by Brunel for his chateau in Devon. Because Brunel was a farmer’s son, the poppies are growing amongst runner beans, strawberries, cornflower and asparagus. The wisteria mingles with grape vines in a potager garden. Just a few hundred yards away, the …
Brunel’s America
As is well known, an intrepid group of pilgrims left Rotherhithe for the New World in 1620. Since then Americans have been returning to England, in growing numbers, to see for themselves where the adventure first began, and where their family roots lie. Some returning Americans have unusual histories. One of the first Americans to …