Collection
Discover our collection of objects.
Thames Tunnel Medal
White metal medal depicting Marc Brunel (obverse) and the Thames Tunnel entrance (reverse)
Commemorative silk kerchief
Red and cream silk kerchief with printed decoration in black and additional colours of yellow, red and grey applied by hand to the central illustration. The illustration of whole tunnel that decorates the border is similar to one by William Westall. The square central illustration of the interior of the Thames Tunnel is an illustration by James D. Harding. This would have been a more expensive souvenir in comparison to the other commemorative handkerchief in the Brunel Museum collection (LDBRU:2007.2) due to its higher quality and the more laborious production process.
Four lithograph views of the Tunnel
A lithograph section of the whole tunnel with three vignettes of the movable stage and other views below (number 1-4), drawn by 'Wm Westall'.
Lithographic sheet showing progress of the Tunnel
Lithographic overview and cross section of the 'Great Descents', after Joseph Pinchback, captioned in ink: "Thames Tunnel/ Plan and Section showing the proposed Pumping Well at Wapping and drain from thence to the Shield forming the 1st article in Mr
Brunel's Estimate for the completion of the Tunnel – the section shews the dip of the Strata towards the Middlesex Shore"; (section cut from 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".
Side view of the flooded Tunnel
Watercolour of a longitudinal section (attributable to Joseph Pinchback) of the tunnel, showing the inundation of the river into the workings and the mass of bagged clay dropped on a raft into the riverbed to fill the gap, with the Brunels' engineering assistant Richard Beamish examining the state of the shield with the aid of a bull's-eye; lantern, his companion in a boat; feint caption in pencil "No. 8"
Cross-section of the Tunnel and displaced ground
Watercolour illustrating a "Cross Section of the Tunnel showing the extent of displaced ground" at Trinity High Water and Low Water, signed by Joseph Pinchback.
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.
Sectional Model of Second Thames Tunnel Shield
Model of part of Marc Brunel's Thames tunnel second shield installed 1836 Scale 1/2" to 1ft
Sectional Model of Thames Tunnel Under Construction
Sectional model of Thames tunnel, 1826, by Severn-Lamb Limited, England
Polyorama Panoptique et Diagraphique pour Dessiner d’Après Nature
When placed in a special viewer with the lid closed, The Thames view is seen; when the lid is raised and light enters the box, the front image disappears, revealing the hidden image behind. In the Spooner Protean View presented by the Art Fund the tunnel
Spooner’s Protean View No. 28: The Thames Tunnel
Spooner produced several examples although little is known about the artist. This work depicts a view of The Thames Tunnel which changes into the Coronation Procession from Buckingham Palace when the lithograph is lit from behind.
Thames Tunnel commemorative kerchief
Cream cotton/linen handkerchief with printed design in red, commemorating: "The Thames Tunnel opened the 25th day of March 1843.” The central illustration of the grand staircase is most similar to an engraving by Thomas H. Ellis, with additional figures added to the scene. The diagram of the Thames Tunnel is similar to one by William Westall. The quality of the handkerchief suggests it was a mass-produced, relatively cheap souvenir for visitors to the Thames Tunnel, that could have been bought within the tunnel itself.
Thames Tunnel Peepshow with barge
A contemporary paper peepshow, circa 1843, depicting the Tunnel
Brunel tunnel watercolour
Watercolour of the Thames Tunnel and river above, signed by Marc Brunel, 1835
Yates shaft watercolour
A fine and important topographical water colour of the Shaft of the Thames Tunnel by George Yates, dated 1835
Thames Tunnel Stereoscopic Peepshow
A contemporary peepshow circa 1852, with a vista of the Tunnel
Thames Tunnel Dual-Layer Peepshow
A contemporary dual-layer peepshow before 1843, with vista above and below the Thames
Blue-rimmed pottery plate Thames Tunnel
Pottery plate showing the TT and with blue rim and alphabet embossed on plate
Pottery plate Thames Tunnel
Pottery plate showing the Thames Tunnel with decorative rim and with text starting '1200 Feet Long'
German lithographic print of the Thames Tunnel
Two-colour German lithographic print of twelve views of the Thames Tunnel with descriptive text, printed in March 1828 by Rudolph Schlicht in Mannheim and entitled 'Drawings of the Road linking Rotherhithe to Wapping in London under the Thames, called The Tunnel'.