George Furness
| George Furness | |
|---|---|
| Born |
31 October 1820 Great Longstone, Derbyshire |
| Died | 9 January 1900 (aged 79) Roundwood House, Willesden, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Rebecca |
| Children | George James Furness, Mary Woodwis Furness, Mathew Thomas Bladen Furness, Agnes Sophia Furness, George John Furness, John Furness, Sarah Furness. |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Public Works |
| Awards | Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy |
George Furness (31 October 1820 – 9 January 1900) was a Victorian construction engineer and benefactor. He described himself as a "contractor of public works". He worked all around the world, on railways, drainage, and brickwork among numerous other things.
Furness was born in Great Longstone, Derbyshire. The old Croft House was part of the Furness' property there.
George Furness did a wide variety of jobs and contracts throughout his life, both overseas and local.
In the early 19th century, the railway was born in Britain. Furness took advantage of this new type of business; from 1842 onwards, he worked on the construction of major railways in the Midlands, Western and Southern counties of England. Among those he contributed to were:
Some of these still exist.
When Britain was at the forefront of construction and engineering, specialists where in great demand overseas for their skills. Furness, being one of these skilled workers, was involved in overseas construction works in Brazil and France.
His other specialty was public works. He worked on extensive dredging contracts in Italy (Spezia, Ancona, Livorno and Palermo) for the next 30 years of his life. King Victor Emmanuel III made him a Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy.
His main work, though, was in Odessa, Russia. After the Crimean War, specialists were needed to renew public works. There, he worked on drainage, paving, and general restorations, along with numerous other works. The overall cost for these labours totalled £750,000.
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