Isambard Kingdom Brunel, British engineer, 1857. Brunel (1806-1859) standing in front of the launching chains of his steamship the 'Great Eastern'. Brunel left school in 1822 to work for his father Marc Isambard Brunel on the construction of the Thames Tunnel. He later became the chief engineer of the Great Western Railway between 1833 and 1858, and designed many bridges and viaducts including the Royal Albert Bridge in Saltash, Cornwall, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. He also designed the steamships 'Great Western', the 'Great Britain' and the 'Great Eastern'.