Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born on 9th April 1806 in Portsmouth. He was one of the most versatile and daring engineers of the Victorian age; his designs revolutionised public transport and modern day engineering.

His father was a French engineer and together they planned the Thames Tunnel from Rotherhithe to Wapping, which was completed in 1843. But Brunel is best remembered for his construction of a network of tunnels, bridges and viaducts for the Great Western Railway. In 1833, he was appointed their Chief Engineer and work began on the line that linked London to Bristol. As well as bridges, tunnels and railways, Brunel was responsible for the design of several famous ships. The 'Great Western', launched in 1837, was the first steamship to engage in transatlantic service. The 'Great Britain', launched in 1843, was the world's first iron-hulled, screw propeller-driven, steam-powered passenger liner.

Though Brunel's projects were not always successful, they often contained innovative solutions to long-standing engineering problems. He was commissioned to design a hospital for casualties of the Crimean War in 1855. He designed a pre-fabricated, wooden hospital that was transported to Turkey and constructed at Renkioi. The hospital consisted of 22 separate wards, store rooms, a surgery and flushing toilets.

Brunel was said to smoke up to 40 cigars a day and to sleep as little as four hours each night. He died of a stroke on 15 September 1859.