Plaque

Skempton Building plaques

Inscription

{The text on the 19 plaques is given here in the sequence as they appear on the building west to east, which is by birth date:}

John Smeaton Civil engineer, 1724 - 1792, FRS

William Jessop Civil engineer, 1745 - 1814

Thomas Telford Civil engineer, 1757 - 1834, FRS

John Rennie Civil engineer, 1761 - 1821, FRS

Thomas Tredgold Engineering research, 1788 - 1829

Eaton Hodgkinson Professor of engineering, 1789 - 1861, FRS

Proby Cautley Civil engineer, 1802 - 1871, FRS

Robert Stephenson Civil engineer, 1803 - 1859, FRS

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Civil engineer, 1806 - 1859, FRS

Thomas Hawksley Civil engineer, 1807 - 1893, FRS

Joseph Bazalgette Civil engineer, 1819 - 1891

William John Macquorn Rankine Professor of engineering, 1820 - 1872, FRS

William Cawthorne Unwin Professor of engineering, 1838 - 1933, FRS

Alexander Binnie Civil engineer, 1839 - 1917

Benjamin Baker Civil engineer, 1840 - 1907, FRS

Osborne Reynolds Professor of engineering, 1842 - 1912, FRS

Alexander Gibb Civil engineer, 1872 - 1958, FRS

Ralph Freeman Civil engineer, 1880 - 1950

William Glanville Engineering research, 1900 - 1976, FRS

2018: Eamonn Doyle has written to correct our "east to west", saying that the names actually run west to east.  That sounds like the sort of mistake we would make and we thank Eamonn for his correction. We will confirm when we are next in the area.

Site: Skempton Building plaques (1 memorial)

SW7, Imperial College Road, Skempton Building / Civil Engineering Building

Weathering often renders architectural features picturesque, but not these plaques.  They have become unattractive and also almost impossible to photograph in focus.  So we've chosen just one to present to you and have attached all the subjects to it.  Hope that's OK with you.

Imperial College has helpfully produced the Civil Engineers' Commemorative Plaques booklet which puts all these engineers into context and gives a page on each one.

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Skempton Building plaques

Subjects commemorated i

Benjamin Baker

Civil engineer. Born Somerset. Worked on the early London underground lines a...

Read More

Sir Joseph Bazalgette

Civil engineer. Born in Enfield.  As chief engineer of the Metropolitan Board...

Read More

Alexander Binnie

Civil engineer.   Born 77 Ladbroke Grove.  Worked in Wales and then India.  R...

Read More

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Civil engineer. Born Portsea, Hampshire. Constructions include: Great Western...

Read More

Sir Proby Cautley

Civil engineer and palaeontologist. FRS.  Born Suffolk.  Proby was his mother...

Read More

Show all 19

Nearby Memorials

Sir Raymond Unwin - blue

Sir Raymond Unwin - blue

NW3, North End, Wyldes

In 2022 Philip Broke told us that the plaque on this house is blue not purple. We revisited and we have added our photo here. The blue pl...

2 subjects commemorated
Pepys and Navy Office

Pepys and Navy Office

EC3, Seeting Lane

This plaque is attached to a stone hidden in the bushes. But helpfully the man in the red t-shirt and red socks is marking its location ...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Ken Colyer

Ken Colyer

WC2, Great Newport Street, 10-11

Ken Colyer, 1928 - 1988, played New Orleans Jazz here in the basement 'Studio 51', 1950 - 1973. Westminster City Council

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Lady Mayoress - EC2

Lady Mayoress - EC2

EC2, London Wall, All hallows on the Wall Church

We published this with the incorrect Lord Mayor (Marcus Samuel) and Mayoress. 2022: Alicia Collinson kindly emailed us to set it right. ...

1 creator
Minnie Lansbury - first plaque

Minnie Lansbury - first plaque

E3, Bow Road, 67, Electric House

This building was erected in the 1930s. Actor Angela Lansbury contributed to the 2008 restoration of the clock.

1 subject commemorated