Eugenius Birch
| Eugenius Birch | |
|---|---|
| Born |
20 June 1818 Shoreditch, London, England |
| Died | 8 January 1884 (aged 65) London, England (buried in Highgate cemetery) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | Telford Medal |
| Buildings | Eastbourne Pier |
| Projects | East Indian Railway |
| Design | Promenade piers |
Eugenius Birch (20 June 1818 – 8 January 1884) was a 19th-century English seaside architect, civil engineer and noted builder of promenade-piers.
Both Eugenius and his elder brother, John Brannis (born 1813), were born in Gloucester Terrace (later Pitfield Street), Shoreditch, London to architect and surveyor John and his wife, Susanne. He attended schools in Brighton and at Euston Square. Fascinated by engineering from a young age, he would often visit major engineering works being built in north London (such as the Primrose Hill tunnel). While still a boy he submitted a design for a passenger carriage to the London and Greenwich Railway company. His innovation, to place the wheels beneath the carriage as opposed to the side, thus freeing more room for the passengers was adopted by the railway.
As a result, aged 16 he joined Messrs. Bligh’s engineering works in Limehouse, London as an apprentice, and then studied at the Mechanics' Institute at the request of Dr George Birkbeck. In 1837, aged 19, he received a silver Isis Medal from the Society of Arts for his drawing of a marine steam engine, and the following year a Silver Telford Medal for his drawings and description of Huddert’s rope machinery.
On 19 February, 1839, Birch was elected a Graduate of the Institution of Civil Engineers, becoming a Member on 5 May, 1863. In 1845 he formed a general design engineering partnership with his brother, John Brannis Birch, which worked across various projects including railways (such as the East Indian Railway from Calcutta to Delhi), viaducts and bridges (including the Kelham and Stockwith bridges).
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