Gatehampton Viaduct
Completes the original Gatehampton Viaduct across the River Thames.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Biography and Timeline — Page 6
Follow Isambard Kingdom Brunel through 477 dated historical records for Great Britain.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
477Distinct records
6 of 12Page
1840–1841Years on this page
1840
Great Britain Screw Conversion Approved
The steamship directors accept Brunel's recommendation and approve converting the vessel to screw propulsion.
Highnams Farm Bridge
Designs a Great Western Railway bridge near Saltford.
Kemble Railway Bridge
Designs an accommodation bridge south of Kemble for the railway.
Keynsham Railway Crossing
The bridge forms part of Brunel's Bristol-to-Bath railway section.
Moulsford Thames Crossing
The viaduct forms part of the pioneering Great Western main line.
Moulsford Viaduct
Completes the original Moulsford Viaduct across the Thames.
River Chew Bridge
Designs the Great Western Railway crossing over the River Chew.
Saltford GWR Bridge
The masonry structure belongs to the pioneering Bristol-Bath section.
St James Railway Bridge
Completes the skew railway bridge over the Avon at Bath.
Thames Railway Crossing
The elegant masonry crossing carries Brunel's broad-gauge railway.
Twerton Railway Works
The structure incorporates arches, railway facilities and workers' accommodation.
Twerton Viaduct Completed
Completes the long Twerton Viaduct for the Great Western Railway.
Twerton Worker Housing Integrated into Viaduct
Brunel incorporates railway facilities and workers' dwellings into the long masonry viaduct at Twerton.
Bath Railway Approaches Completed
Brunel's line used masonry bridges and viaducts to carry trains through the city and its narrow approaches.
Twerton Viaduct Enters Railway Service
The long masonry viaduct at Twerton provided a continuous rail alignment on the western approach to Bath.
River Chew Railway Crossing Opens
The Great Western route crossed the River Chew at Keynsham on its passage between Bath and Bristol.
Saltford Railway Bridge Enters Use
Railway structures near Saltford carried Brunel's broad gauge line through the Avon valley.
Bath Bristol Railway Services Commence
Railway passengers could travel between Bath and Bristol using the newly opened Great Western section.
Bath Station Opens For Passengers
Bath's Great Western Railway station commenced operations as the new Bristol to Bath section opened.
Bath Riverside Railway Embankments Established
The broad gauge alignment relied on embankments to maintain manageable gradients beside sections of the Avon.
Dorchester Street Rail Bridge Opens
A railway bridge near Dorchester Street carried the Great Western route through Bath's built up centre.
Avon Valley Rail Gradients Controlled
Brunel's carefully surveyed route minimised steep railway gradients along the valley approaching Bath.
Bath River Bridges Support Broad Gauge
Brunel's river crossings were designed for the wider track gauge adopted by the Great Western Railway.
Wootton Bassett Line Reaches Chippenham
The Great Western Railway opened its section from Wootton Bassett to Chippenham in December.
Chippenham Station Opens For Rail Traffic
The initial railway connection made Chippenham an operating terminus while the remaining route west was unfinished.
Chippenham Railway Goods Access Established
The arrival of the railway provided a new means of moving Wiltshire goods toward the growing Great Western network.
Chippenham Broad Gauge Track Enters Service
The new section used Brunel's broad gauge track system rather than the standard gauge used on many other railways.
Chippenham Becomes Temporary Western Terminus
The railhead at Chippenham served as an interim endpoint pending the completion of the line through Box Tunnel.
Clifton Bridge Chain Contract Awarded
The bridge project arranged manufacture of its suspension chains at the Copperhouse Foundry in Cornwall.
Hungerford Suspension Chain Design Prepared
Brunel adopted wrought iron suspension chains to support the bridge deck across the Thames.
Hungerford Bridge Chain Manufacture Commences
Chain manufacture at the Copperhouse Foundry supported the large suspension bridge projects undertaken by Brunel.
Great Western Lengthening Programme Completed
The ship's refit produced a longer vessel better suited to carrying additional passengers on Atlantic passages.
Copperhouse Foundry Receives Chain Contract
The Clifton bridge undertaking contracts with Copperhouse Foundry in Hayle to produce suspension chains, although the project's financial difficulties later prevent their intended installation.
Leigh Woods Abutment Construction Advances
The Leigh Woods masonry abutment reaches an advanced state by 1840, forming a substantial foundation for the suspension structure planned across the gorge.
1841
Box Tunnel
The opposing tunnel workings meet with an alignment error of less than two inches and construction is completed.
Box Tunnel
Box Tunnel opens as the longest railway tunnel in the world at the time.
Great Western Railway
The complete Great Western Railway route between London and Bristol opens for through services.
London-Bristol Through Journey Established
Completion of the main line allows continuous railway travel between London and Bristol in about four hours.
Bath Railway Footbridge
The structure becomes a surviving element of Brunel's original railway.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.