Alexander Meadows Rendel
Encyclopedia
Sir Alexander Meadows Rendel (3 April 1828, Plymouth
– 23 January 1918, London
) was a British
civil engineer
.
Rendel was born in Plymouth
. He was the eldest son of the engineer James Meadows Rendel
and his wife Catherine Harris. Three of his brothers were civil engineers: George Wightwick Rendel
, Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel
(who was also a Liberal MP), and Hamilton Owen Rendel.
He was educated at The King's School Canterbury and Trinity College
, Cambridge.
Rendel was the engineer of the London Dock Company in 1856, and was responsible for the Shadwell Basin
, the Connaught Tunnel
and the Royal Albert Dock
in London, the Albert and Edinburgh Docks in Leith
, Workington Dock and Harbour. In 1857-1858 he visited India
, and was consulting engineer to the India Office
, the East India Railway and other Indian railways, and was a member of the Commission to determine narrow gauge for Indian Railways, in 1870. He designed the Lansdowne Bridge Rohri
at Sukkur
over the Indus River
, which when it was completed in 1889 was the largest cantilever bridge in the world. The climax of his bridge-building career was considered to be the Howrah or Jubilee Bridge allowing trains to cross the Hooghly River near Calcutta; this was opened by the Viceroy on 21st February 1887
He married Eliza Hobson, daughter of the Captain William Hobson
RN, the late first Governor of New Zealand. The ceremony was held on 27 January 1853 at the Parish Church of Stoke Damerel, Devonport
by the Rev James Elliot, uncle of the bride. They had five sons and three daughters.
His youngest surviving brother, Hamilton Rendel (born 1843), designed and supervised the installation of the steam driven compound condensing pump engines, hydraulic accumulators and hydraulic machinery that first operated the bascule
s of the iconic Tower Bridge
in London.
Alexander Rendel died at 51 Gordon Square, London
on 23 January 1918.
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
– 23 January 1918, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
.
Rendel was born in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. He was the eldest son of the engineer James Meadows Rendel
James Meadows Rendel
James Meadows Rendel FRS was a British civil engineer.-Early life & career:Rendel, the son of a farmer and surveyor, was born near Okehampton, Devon, in 1799. He was initiated into the operations of a millwright under an uncle at Teignmouth, while from his father he learnt the rudiments of civil...
and his wife Catherine Harris. Three of his brothers were civil engineers: George Wightwick Rendel
George Wightwick Rendel
George Wightwick Rendel was a British engineer, and naval architect. He was closely associated with the Tyneside industrialist and armaments manufacturer, William George Armstrong.-Family:...
, Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel
Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel
Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel was a British industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal politician. He sat Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire between 1880 and 1894 and was recognised as the leader of the Welsh MP's...
(who was also a Liberal MP), and Hamilton Owen Rendel.
He was educated at The King's School Canterbury and Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Cambridge.
Rendel was the engineer of the London Dock Company in 1856, and was responsible for the Shadwell Basin
Shadwell Basin
Shadwell Basin was part of the London Docks, a group of docks built by the London Dock Company at Wapping, London, and part of the wider docks of the Port of London....
, the Connaught Tunnel
Connaught Tunnel
Connaught Tunnel, in the Selkirk Mountains under Rogers Pass on the Canadian Pacific Railway main line between Calgary, Alberta, and Revelstoke, British Columbia, at long was, at the time it was built, the longest railway tunnel in North America. Dug under Mount Macdonald to ease growing traffic...
and the Royal Albert Dock
Royal Albert Dock
The Royal Albert Dock is one of three docks in the Royal Group of Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands.-History:The dock was constructed to the east of the earlier Victoria Dock by the St Katharine and London dock companies and opened in 1880...
in London, the Albert and Edinburgh Docks in Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, Workington Dock and Harbour. In 1857-1858 he visited India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, and was consulting engineer to the India Office
India Office
The India Office was a British government department created in 1858 to oversee the colonial administration of India, i.e. the modern-day nations of Bangladesh, Burma, India, and Pakistan, as well as territories in South-east and Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of the east coast of Africa...
, the East India Railway and other Indian railways, and was a member of the Commission to determine narrow gauge for Indian Railways, in 1870. He designed the Lansdowne Bridge Rohri
Lansdowne Bridge Rohri
The Lansdowne Bridge Rohri was a railway bridge in present day Pakistan.A marvel of nineteenth century engineering, the 'longest "rigid" girder bridge in the world' at that time, was begun in 1887. The Indus Valley State Railway had reached Sukkur in 1879 and the steam ferry which transported eight...
at Sukkur
Sukkur
Sukkur, or Sakharu , formerly Aror and Bakar, is the third largest city of Sindh province, situated on the west bank of Indus River in Pakistan in Sukkur District. However, the word Sakharu in Sindhi means "superior", which the spelling of the city's name in Sindhi suggests is the origin of the...
over the Indus River
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
, which when it was completed in 1889 was the largest cantilever bridge in the world. The climax of his bridge-building career was considered to be the Howrah or Jubilee Bridge allowing trains to cross the Hooghly River near Calcutta; this was opened by the Viceroy on 21st February 1887
He married Eliza Hobson, daughter of the Captain William Hobson
William Hobson
Captain William Hobson RN was the first Governor of New Zealand and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi.-Early life:...
RN, the late first Governor of New Zealand. The ceremony was held on 27 January 1853 at the Parish Church of Stoke Damerel, Devonport
Devonport, Devon
Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...
by the Rev James Elliot, uncle of the bride. They had five sons and three daughters.
His youngest surviving brother, Hamilton Rendel (born 1843), designed and supervised the installation of the steam driven compound condensing pump engines, hydraulic accumulators and hydraulic machinery that first operated the bascule
Bascule
Bascule may refer to:* A Bascule bridge, a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic...
s of the iconic Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...
in London.
Alexander Rendel died at 51 Gordon Square, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 23 January 1918.