Paddington Station
Brunel presents preliminary plans for rebuilding Paddington as a grand permanent railway terminus.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1851 in Great Britain
Explore 42 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1851.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1851
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 42 unique records.
42Unique records
1 of 2Page
33Named events on this page
19Named people on this page
12Places on this page
January
Airy Transit Circle Begins Observations
The new transit circle made its first observation on 4 January and defined the Greenwich meridian used internationally.
April
Birth of Edward Walter Maunder
Birth of Edward Walter Maunder
May
Great Exhibition
Designs the Great Exhibition which is opened at Hyde Park, London
Great Exhibition
Prince Albert opens the Great Exhibition showcasing industry, technology and international commerce.
Great Exhibition
Opens the Great Exhibition in the Crystal Palace at Hyde Park, London
June
Birth of Oliver Lodge
Birth of Oliver Lodge
July
Mickleton Tunnel Contract Dispute Escalates
Brunel arrives with a large workforce during a bitter contractor dispute at Mickleton Tunnel, prompting local magistrates to intervene.
Death of Edward Codrington
Death of Edward Codrington
August
Reform of Church Governance
Ecclesiastical Titles Bill, prohibits Catholic clergy from assuming territorial titles
December
Coup
Meets French Ambassador, Walewski, & congratulates him on Louis Napoleon's coup
Meeting with French Ambassador
Meets French Ambassador, Walewski, & congratulates him on Louis Napoleon's coup
Cabinet remains neutral towards Louis Napoleon
The Cabinet remains neutral towards Louis Napoleon after his coup
Coup
The Cabinet remains neutral towards Louis Napoleon after his coup
Neutrality
The Cabinet remains neutral towards Louis Napoleon after his coup
Other events (month unknown)
Airy Transit Circle
Installs the transit instrument later defining the Greenwich prime meridian.
Airy Transit Circle Becomes Meridian Reference
Installation of the transit circle established the line later adopted internationally as the prime meridian. The work improved the repeatability of observational methods.
Albert Hall
Completion of the Royal Albert Hall
Australian Passenger Refit Prepared
The ship underwent substantial preparation to serve the growing demand for passage to Australia.
Australian Refit Enlarges Ship Deckhouse
Refitting SS Great Britain for the emigrant trade included a substantial deckhouse that provided more accommodation for long voyages.
Brunel Ordered To Sell Bridge Materials
Creditors direct Brunel to halt remaining Clifton bridge work and dispose of materials and plant in October 1851 as the undertaking struggles with its unpaid obligations.
Clifton Chains Diverted from Original Project
Material intended for the unfinished Clifton bridge is disposed of after the project loses its remaining construction funds.
Clifton Construction Suspension Ordered
Financial problems forced the project's managers to halt work and seek ways to settle outstanding liabilities.
Clifton Materials Ordered Sold
Brunel is ordered to suspend the unfinished bridge works and sell materials and plant to satisfy creditors.
Coup
Dismisses Palmerston as Foreign Secretary for recognizing Napoleon's coup
Coup
Dismissed for unauthorized approval of the coup in France by Napoleon III
Crystal Palace
Designs the Crystal Palace which has almost 300,000 panes of glass
Discovery of Paraffin
Patents a means of producing paraffin from the distillation of coal
Dismissal
Dismisses Palmerston as Foreign Secretary for recognizing Napoleon's coup
Dismissal
Dismissed for unauthorized approval of the coup in France by Napoleon III
Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World
Publication of "Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World"
Great Exhibition
Lays down architectural plans for the Great Exhibition
Great Exhibition and International Trade
The Great Exhibition demonstrated the expanding international commerce and manufacturing competition central to Wilson's editorial interests.
Kings Cross
Designs & builds King's Cross Railway Station
Osbourne House
Osbourne house is completed & becomes a royal residence
Peerage
Created Earl of Shaftesbury, 7th
Permanent Paddington Station Plans Presented
Brunel prepared a scheme for replacing the temporary terminus with a monumental iron roofed passenger station.
Standard Screw Thread Gains Engineering Influence
Whitworth's screw thread proposals helped reduce incompatibilities among British mechanical components. The project established a technique that other researchers could build upon.
The Eagle
Publication of "The Eagle"
Trafalgar Relief
Designs one of the Nelson column relief panels.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.