Collection
Discover our collection of objects.
Sketch of the timbering for the removal of the old shield
Small drawing; a pen-and-ink study, presumably by Richard Beamish, of the timbering for the removal of the old shield
Watercolour of planned Shaft and section of a Tunnel
Watercolour of a longitudinal section showing the Rotherhithe shaft with the first section of tunnel constructed, with two miners in profile working at the upper and lower sections of the shield, two gentlemen inspecting the works [possibly Brunel and a visitor], and a miner wheeling away soil in a barrow; cut from a larger sheet.
Side view of the Thames Tunnel after flooding
Watercolour conveying "Longitudinal section of part of Thames tunnel showing the state of the strata and coveringafter the Run of Sand", signed with monogram [?] "R.P.", inscribed to Brunel's son-in-law Benjamin Hawes MP, dated "3
March 1837".
Cross-section of the Thames Tunnel after flooding
Watercolour featuring a "Transverse section of the Thames tunnel and strata...", extensively annotated, and signed with monogram [?] "R.P.", inscribed to Brunel's son-in-law Benjamin Hawes MP, dated "3 March 1837".
Watercolour of a cylindrical tunnelling shield
Watercolour featuring a cylindrical tunnelling shield with crank (apparently for propelling cast-iron segments into place), cut from a larger sheet (conjoint with LDBRU:2017.19), with scale of feet, dated "September 1818".
Two watercolour views of a cylindrical tunnelling shield
Cylindrical tunnelling shield, two views, one with a miner at work, cut from a larger sheet with ink-ruled border at left-hand and lower edge (conjoint with LDBRU:2017.20)
Sketch for a proposed cast-iron tunnel
Pen-and-ink engineering drawings for a tunnel in cast iron, dated "10 April 1818", and extensively annotated in French and English by Brunel, with notes on brickwork laid in cement and of the cast iron shell indicating thickness at the crown and sides;
subscribed "The Cast Iron for a Tunnel of this nature will not exceed 200 Tons for every 100 feet run including the
drain".
Watercolour of the timbering for the removal of the old Shield
Watercolour depicting the "Timbering for the Removal of the Old Shield/ Side Timbering", signed "Rich. Beamish"; cut from a larger sheet
Sketch of a proposed cylindrical tunnel
Autograph sketch-plan by Brunel showing two sections of the proposed cylindrical tunnel, one empty, the other with a coach passing through with wounded veteran and prosperous gentleman across the divide, dated "10 April 1818", and captioned "Two Tunnels of 17 f[eet]. D[iameter] each would be preferable to one of 24 feet".
‘Cross-section of a Tunnel for the use of infantry, shown in its full extent’
Watercolour of a proposed Tunnel for military use, drawn by Joseph Pinchback in 1818 and captioned in French by Marc Brunel
Watercolour of proposed three-part Shield
Watercolour showing a section of a tripartite shield with twelve miners at work in the shield; with partial ink border and seemingly a companion piece of LDBRU:2017.11, originally part of the same sheet.
Watercolour of proposed three-part tunnel
Watercolour representing a section of the tunnel, showing on the left a stagecoach riding through the tunnel, to the centre and right men at work in the shield; with partial ink border (cut from a larger sheet).
Watercolour of proposed tunnelling Shield
Watercolour depicting three miners at work in the tunnel; shows how miners would dig forward, and the whole shield would be driven forward by hydraulics, in exactly the way that was eventually used, on a larger scale, in the "Great Shield"
Watercolour cross-section of the Tunnel
Watercolour depicting a cross-section of the whole tunnel (attributable to Brunel's chief mechanical draftsman, Joseph Pinchback), extending halfway across the river, including the Rotherhithe shaft plus sump and nearby buildings.
Sketch of a descent in the diving bell
Sketch by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, dated 1827, depicting his descent in a diving bell to inspect the damage following a flood in the Thames Tunnel.