John Rennie the Younger
John Rennie | |
---|---|
Born | 30 August 1794 |
Died | 3 September 1874 Bengeo, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom | (aged 80)
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Engineer |
Engineering career | |
Discipline | Civil engineer |
Institutions | Institution of Civil Engineers (president) |
Projects | Waterloo Bridge Southwark Bridge London Bridge |
Sir John Rennie
Early life
John Rennie was born at 27 Stamford Street, Blackfriars Road, London, on 30 August 1794. He was educated by Dr. Greenlaw at Isleworth, and afterwards by Dr. Charles Burney at Greenwich. He subsequently entered his father's manufactory in Holland Street, Blackfriars Road, where he acquired a practical knowledge of his profession, and in 1813 he was placed under Mr. Hollingsworth, resident engineer of Waterloo Bridge, the foundations of which he personally superintended. In 1815 he assisted his father in the erection of Southwark Bridge, and in 1819 he went abroad for the purpose of studying the great engineering works on the continent.
J. & G. Rennie
On the death of his father in 1821, John remained in partnership with his brother George, the civil engineering portion of the business being carried on by him, whereas the mechanical engineering was supervised by George.
Royal William Victualling Yard
Rennie along with Philip Richards designed Royal William Victualling Yard,[1] Plymouth, (1823–33). Covering 14 acres (57,000 m2), this grand classical style ensemble built from Plymouth limestone and Dartmoor granite, consists of a grand gateway surmounted by a statue of King William IV. There is the Slaughterhouse, then around a central dock basin, to the south, Melville Square - a warehouse with a central courtyard - it has a clock tower over the main entrance; to the west of the basin is the Bakery with its mill and to the east the Brewery, with its cooperage.
Cannon Workshops
Rennie also was responsible for designing
Bridges and marine engineering
The most important of John Rennie's undertakings, from 1824, was the construction of
Railway engineering
Although Rennie and his brother were early in the field as a railway engineers – having been involved, with George Stephenson, in the design of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway – their practice in this department was not very large. The company did however supply a number of locomotives for the London and Croydon Railway in 1838 and 1839. In 1852 John laid out a system of railways for Sweden, for which he received the order of Gustavus Vasa, and in 1855 he designed a series of railways and harbours for Portugal, none of which were, however, carried out.
Institution of Civil Engineers
Rennie was elected a member of the
Retirement and death
Rennie retired from the active duties of his profession about 1862, and died at Bengeo, near Hertford, on 3 September 1874, just after his 80th birthday.
He is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in London on the edge of a southern spur path. The grave has a new plaque to compensate for the original worn slab.
References
- ^ page 653,The Buildings of England Devon, Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner, 1989 Penguin Books
- ^ "'The West India Docks: Offices, works and housing', in Survey of London: Volumes 43 and 44, Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs, ed. Hermione Hobhouse (London, 1994), pp. 313-326". Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 23 December 2015 – via British History Online.
- ^ North Lincolnshire Community Website, Horkstow Bridge, accessed 9 August 2009
Attribution:
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Rennie, John (1794–1874)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.