Charles Richardson (civil engineer)

Charles Richardson
Charles Richardson
Born	29 August 1814 Capenhurst Hall, Cheshire
Died	1896
Nationality	English
Parent(s)	Charles Richardson, Deputy Lieutenant of Cheshire
Engineering career
Discipline	civil engineer
Projects	Severn Tunnel

Sir Charles Richardson (1814–1896) was the resident engineer of the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway. He was also the instigator and first engineer of the Severn Tunnel.

Richardson was born at Capenhurst Hall in Cheshire. He was educated in England and France. His father, Richard, died when he was six. Despite an early sporting talent for cricket, it was now clear that he would need to make his own living and so, encouraged by his mother, he followed his other talent for engineering.

He attended Edinburgh University from 1833, reading Mathematics.

He was taken as a pupil by Marc Brunel, working with him on the Thames Tunnel. From then he worked with the Brunels on a number of railway projects, particularly involving tunnelling. These included Box Tunnel and Sapperton Tunnel.

Richardson was noted for his interest in cricket. This led to some conflict with Brunel over disruptions to his work, although equally it was encouraged by other contractors as an alternative to the evils of drink.

In 1858 Brunel appointed Richardson as the resident engineer of the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway. This work involved railway lines and tunnels, but also two large piers at New Passage and Portskewett. These piers included floating pontoons to cope with the enormous tidal range of the Severn estuary.

During the completion of the ferry piers, around 1863, Richardson began to advocate an underwater tunnel as a better means of joining the Bristol and South Wales lines. Plans for bridges were also afoot at this time, a long viaduct from Oldbury, never built, and also the Severn Railway Bridge further upstream.

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