Francis Giles
Encyclopedia
Francis Giles was a canal engineer and surveyor who worked under John Rennie
and later became a railway engineer
's route for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
. He made sure Giles was called as a witness. Giles famously stated:
No engineer in his senses would go through Chat Moss
if he wanted to make a railway from Liverpool to Manchester. In my judgement a railroad certainly cannot be safely made over Chat Moss without going to the bottom of the Moss.
Giles came in for considerable criticism. At the time he was also surveying the Portsmouth Junction Railway and had become engineer to Southampton Docks. His original estimate of 1834 of £894,874 was amended to £1,507,753 in 1836. Lancashire shareholders, demanded the figures be confirmed by another engineer, but even then should Giles remain in office, they recommend that no further capital should be forthcoming. Giles made an unauthorised approach to influential landowners and shareholders for further money and proposed deferring the bill to borrow further money, suggesting that the central unfinished portion of the line should be left incomplete until revenue from the completed London to Basingstoke and Winchester to Southampton sections were forthcoming. Giles was dismissed and Joseph Locke
appointed in his place.
John Rennie
-People:* John Rennie the Elder , engineer * Sir John Rennie the Younger , engineer * John Rennie , naval architect...
and later became a railway engineer
Works and appointments
- Kent & Sussex Junction Canal 1811 – with Netlam Giles surveyed the route as part of John Rennie's check of Alexander Sutherland's work.
- Stort - Cam Canal 1811 – re-surveyed the route with Netlam Giles under the direction of John Rennie.
- Wey and Arun Junction Canal 1815 – with Netlam Giles surveyed a route from the Croydon CanalCroydon CanalThe Croydon Canal ran from Croydon, via Forest Hill, to the Grand Surrey Canal at New Cross in south London, England. It opened in 1809, and closed in 1836, making it the first canal to be formally abandoned by an Act of Parliament.-History:...
to Newbridge in the ArunRiver ArunThe Arun is a river in the English county of West Sussex. Its source is a series of small streams in the St Leonard's Forest area, to the east of Horsham...
valley
- Portsmouth & Arundel Canal 1815 – with Netlam Giles surveyed a route for the canal on behalf of John Rennie.
- Western Union Canal project 1819 – plan of the canal for the Kennet & Avon Canal committee.
- River IvelRiver IvelThe River Ivel is a river in the east of England. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse.-Course of the Ivel:The river Ivel rises just north of Baldock in Hertfordshire, but most of its course lies within Bedfordshire. It flows through Stotfold, Arlesey, Henlow, Langford, Biggleswade, Sandy and...
– 1821 – costed river navigation from BiggleswadeBiggleswadeBiggleswade is a market town and civil parish located on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. It is well served by transport routes, being close to the A1 road between London and the North, as well as having a railway station on the main rail link North from London .-Geography:Located about 40...
to Langford Bridge and to HitchinHitchinHitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
and BaldockBaldockBaldock is a historic market town in the local government district of North Hertfordshire in the ceremonial county of Hertfordshire, England where the River Ivel rises. It lies north of London, southeast of Bedford, and north northwest of the county town of Hertford...
. - River Ivel 1822 – costed river navigation to SheffordShefford, BedfordshireShefford is a small town and civil parish located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 4,928, although this was estimated to have grown to 5,770 by 2007.-History:...
. - Aire & Calder Navigation – WakefieldWakefieldWakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
Section 1822 - worked on alternative schemes based on John Rennine's plans for deepening the river to 7 feet and to take 100 ton craft. - Hertford Union CanalHertford Union CanalThe Hertford Union Canal or Duckett's Canal is a short stretch of canal in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in east London. It connects the Regent's Canal to the Lee Navigation. It was opened in 1830 but quickly proved to be a commercial failure...
(Grand UnionGrand Union- Transport :* Grand union, a four-way, double track rail junction often found on tram systems* Grand Union Canal, a waterway running from London to Birmingham in the United Kingdom...
) 1824 – appointed engineer. - Hants & Berks Junction Canal 1825 – surveyed proposed a 13 mile canal with a half-mile tunnel, one inclined plane and a number of locks.
- London to Portsmouth Ship Canal – 1825 – took levels for the combined scheme of John Rennie, James ElmesJames ElmesJames Elmes was an English architect, civil engineer, and writer on the arts.-Biography:...
and N W Cundy. - Liverpool Canal project 1830 – proposed route linking the BridgewaterBridgewater CanalThe Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
, SankeySankey CanalThe Sankey Canal, which is also known as the Sankey Brook Navigation and the St Helens Canal, is a canal in Cheshire, extending into Merseyside, in the northwest of England, connecting St Helens with the River Mersey...
and Mersey & Irwell by a Mersey aqueduct. - Birmingham and Warwick Junction CanalBirmingham and Warwick Junction CanalThe Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal is a short canal connecting the Digbeth Branch of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal in the centre of Birmingham to the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. It was authorized in 1840 by Act of Parliament to relieve pressure on this connection to the Grand Junction...
1830 – appointed engineer. - Sankey Brook Navigation 1831 – appointed engineer for extension to WidnesWidnesWidnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn...
. - River LeeRiver Lee (England)The River Lea in England originates in Marsh Farm , Leagrave, Luton in the Chiltern Hills and flows generally southeast, east, and then south to London where it meets the River Thames , the last section being known as Bow Creek.-Etymology:...
– surveyed the river and recommended that the number of locks be reduced to 17 from the 25 principal locks and 3 half locks. - Newcastle and Carlisle RailwayNewcastle and Carlisle RailwayThe Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, occasionally referred to as the Tyne Valley Line, is a railway line in northern England. The line was built in the 1830s, and links the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear with in Cumbria. Formal opening took place on 18 June 1838.The line follows the...
– appointed engineer - London and Southampton Railway 1831 – appointed engineer. (later renamed the London and South Western RailwayLondon and South Western RailwayThe London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
} - Southampton Docks 1836 – appointed engineer
- Reading, Guildford and Reigate RailwayNorth Downs LineThe North Downs Line is the name of the passenger train service connecting Reading, on the Great Western Main Line, to Gatwick Airport, on the Brighton Main Line...
1846 – appointed Engineer-in-Chief
Pupil and assistant to Sir John Rennie
Rennie employed Giles, his former pupil, to carry out the detail work for the survey of the London to Portsmouth Ship Canal.The Chat Moss debacle
Rennie organised the opposition to George StephensonGeorge Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
's route for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
. He made sure Giles was called as a witness. Giles famously stated:
No engineer in his senses would go through Chat Moss
Chat Moss
Chat Moss is a large area of peat bog that makes up 30 percent of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north of the River Irwell, to the west of Manchester, and occupies an area of about...
if he wanted to make a railway from Liverpool to Manchester. In my judgement a railroad certainly cannot be safely made over Chat Moss without going to the bottom of the Moss.
Engineer to the London and Southampton Railway
Giles was appointed engineer of the London & Southamton Railway in 1831. As a result of overestimate of the costs and difficulty of crossing Chat Moss he was regarded as a cautious and safe man. However he greatly underestimated the cost of building the London & Southampton and soon got into difficulties. Stephenson was highly critical stating that "the whole wealth of the company would be forever buried." in the St Georges Hill cutting at Weybridge. There were extensive delays and costs escalated out of hand. Shares slumped.Giles came in for considerable criticism. At the time he was also surveying the Portsmouth Junction Railway and had become engineer to Southampton Docks. His original estimate of 1834 of £894,874 was amended to £1,507,753 in 1836. Lancashire shareholders, demanded the figures be confirmed by another engineer, but even then should Giles remain in office, they recommend that no further capital should be forthcoming. Giles made an unauthorised approach to influential landowners and shareholders for further money and proposed deferring the bill to borrow further money, suggesting that the central unfinished portion of the line should be left incomplete until revenue from the completed London to Basingstoke and Winchester to Southampton sections were forthcoming. Giles was dismissed and Joseph Locke
Joseph Locke
Joseph Locke was a notable English civil engineer of the 19th century, particularly associated with railway projects...
appointed in his place.