The Brunels by Anthony Burton

The Brunels by Anthony Burton – father and son – is a good book. It covers a bit of their personal lives and more in depth their professional life. I wish there was a bit more about the interactions between them, thus I gave the book 4 stars.

We all know in Britain about Isambard Kingdom Brunel, there is an university with his name in London, there are plenty of museums that mention him. His father though is not mentioned in the same way, despite him being involved in great projects and an inventor. Born in France in the same village his forbearers lived from the 15th century, Marc Brunel was a monarchist and fled the country to escape the Terror. In Britain Marc helped a lot the British government during the Napoleonic wars, despite facing issues with people not being particularly trusting of him, as he was French, obviously. Isambard was born in England and his mother was British.

Marc was also involved in constructing the very first tunnel under the Thames and that is the most important of his achievements. His relation with his wife is also beautiful and I would have liked to read more about it. Isambard worked with his father before taking on projects on his own. This book is, as the blurb said, a celebration of two extraordinary men and their amazing achievements. I highly recommend it.

The Brunels by Anthony Burton

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My rating: 4/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Pen and Sword Transport
Year it was published: 2022
Format: Hardcover
Genre(s): Broad subject
Pages: 232

About the author: Born in 1934 Anthony Burton is an author and broadcaster who specialises mostly in industrial and transport history since his first book in the area, The Canal Builders, was published in 1972. As well as canals, railways and other forms of transport, his interests also include the countryside and landscape history.
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