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.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

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

Vera Atkins

Vera Atkins

SW3, Sloane Avenue, Nell Gwynn House

Vera Atkins, née Rosenberg, Commander of the Order of British Empire, Croix de Guerre, Legion of Honour. A Jewish pre-war British spy, Ve...

3 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Central Foundation Girls School

Central Foundation Girls School

E3, Bow Road

Below the first floor bay window a large stone frieze is beginning to crumble but still reads: "Stepney & Bow Foundation Coborn Girls...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Hippodrome - Harry Houdini

Hippodrome - Harry Houdini

WC2, Cranbourn Street, Hippodrome casino

The plaque refers to the London Daily Mirror newspaper which challenged Houdini to escape from special handcuffs. On 17 March 1904 durin...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Clock Tower - Hampstead - old plaque

Clock Tower - Hampstead - old plaque

NW3, Heath Street

Building designed by George Vulliamy.  The Heath Street façade bears the initials "M.B.W." (Metropolitan Board of Works) and "1873".  In ...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Bradmore House

Bradmore House

W6, Queen Caroline Street

An identical plaque is on the other side of the building.

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators