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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
Subjects
Education and Research
Engineering disciplines
Civil engineering

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Civil engineering

Subject

Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Dorman Long & Co

Sabemo

Allan, Percy

Bradfield, JJC

Coyle, James Edmund Fitzgerald

Druitt, George

Dumaresq, William John

Freeman, Ralph

Hickson, Robert

Lennox, David

Mann, Gother Kerr

Martindale, BH

Moriarty, Edward Orpen

Mountain, Adrien

Nervi, Pier Luigi

Sautelle, Edwin Stanhope

Simpson, Percy

Stowe, Francis Ernest

Walsh, Henry Deane

Warren, William Henry

Whitton, John

Williams, Alfred

Warragamba dam

David Lennox, Superintendent of Bridges c1870

Dr JJC Bradfield on 'king pin' under the arch at the Sydney Harbour Bridge February 1931

George Barney, civil engineer, c1860

Gladesville Bridge at the time of its official opening, October 1964

Interior of St James' Underground Railway Station, Sydney 1926

Johnstons Creek Aqueduct, Annandale 2004

Norman Selfe, civil engineer c1900

Norman Selfe, probably at his home Gilligaloola, Normanhurst c1900

Norman Selfe, probably at his home Gilligaloola, Normanhurst c1900

Plan of storm water drainage scheme, Marrickville 1892

Portrait of Dr JJC Bradfield 1920s

Professor WH Warren 1898

Reclamation work for the Spit Bridge being carried out at Pearl Bay 27 September 1935

Sketch shewing the neccessity for connecting the East and West sides of Pitt Street by a temporary bridge March-April 1853

Swing span building out, Pyrmont Bridge c1900

View of Sydney Harbour Bridge under construction at night, showing lights on c1931

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Civil engineering

Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge

When the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in 1932 it was the epitome of modern bridge design and engineering ingenuity. The iconic design was the creation of Dr JCC Bradfield, of the New South Wales Department of Public Works, Ralph Freeman, consulting engineer for the builders, Dorman, Long and Co, and thousands of workers who toiled on it through the Great Depression.

Dorman Long & Co

Engineering company from Middlesbrough England who won the Bridge tender with a design for an arch bridge at a tender price of £4,217,721.00.

full record »

Sabemo

Construction and engineering company formed by Vittorio Moratelli.

full record »

Allan, Percy

Engineer and bridge designer who designed the Glebe Island and Pyrmont bridges and oversaw great changes to Sydney's infrastructure.

full record »

Bradfield, JJC

Engineer and planner who designed and oversaw the building of the Harbour Bridge, underground railway and other Sydney infrastructure.

full record »

Coyle, James Edmund Fitzgerald

Civil engineer who, with Professor William H Warren, designed the suspension bridge at Northbridge. Born in Ireland about 1844, he was a Member of the Institute of Civil engineers and worked in coal mining in Scotland before migrating to New Zealand in the early 1870s. He worked there as an engineer and surveyor, also travelling to and from Sydney. In 1884, he was asked to produce a report on the NSW Department of Public Works for the government,who were looking for recommendations to reduce its size. In the late 1880s he was commissioned by the NSW Government to produce a report on the Murray River, looking at navigation and water rights, and also advised on railways. He died at his sister Rosalind Robertson's house, Byron Lodge, in Randwick on 6 October 1895 at the age of 51.

full record »

Druitt, George

Soldier and engineer who oversaw public works in the colony from 1817, but resigned in 1821 to pursue farming and local reform.

full record »

Dumaresq, William John

Civil engineer appointed as inspector of roads and bridges though the appointments were never confirmed by the British government and his brother in law Governor Darling was accused of nepotism.

full record »

Freeman, Ralph

Engineer who claimed to have designed the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

full record »

Hickson, Robert

Civil engineer who significantly improved bridge design and road construction, extended metropolitan water supply and sewerage and vastly improved the Sydney waterfront.

full record »

Lennox, David

full record »

Scottish bridge-builder and master mason who arrived in Sydney in 1832 and was responsible for constructing many of the stone bridges in Sydney, some of which are still standing.

Mann, Gother Kerr

Civil engineer and army officer who was responsible for all penal and civil building design work on Cockatoo Island between 1847 and 1870. Manns Point, Greenwich, is named for him.

full record »

Martindale, BH

Captain in the Royal Engineers who was appointed Commissioner for Internal Communication with responsibilities for road and rail building between 1857 and 1861.

full record »

Moriarty, Edward Orpen

Engineer and surveyor who became engineer of Sydney's water supply in 1877 in addition to his duties across the state in road design, harbours and river navigation.

full record »

Mountain, Adrien

Civil engineer who was a specialist in street paving.

full record »

Nervi, Pier Luigi

Italian engineer and architect famous for his novel use of reinforced concrete.

full record »

Sautelle, Edwin Stanhope

full record »

A civil engineer who, as the Vaucluse Council Town Clerk, designed the Parsley Bay suspension bridge. He later became an alderman on Vaucluse Council, serving twice as mayor. in 1895 he had been appointed Secretary of the South Head General Cemetery Trust, but in 1938 was charged with forgery and larceny after misappropriating cemetery funds and sentenced to three years in gaol.

Simpson, Percy

Surveyor, engineer and administrator valued by successive governors for his administrative and engineering skills.

full record »

Stowe, Francis Ernest

Architect and engineer who designed a unique three way bridge across the harbour in 1922. His design was supported by a central tower on Goat Island which would also serve as a war memorial.

full record »

Walsh, Henry Deane

Irish born engineer responsible for the remodelling of Dawes and Millers points and the wharves and cargo handling facilities at Jones and Walsh bays.

full record »

Warren, William Henry

full record »

Civil engineer who became the first Professor of Engineering at the University of Sydney.

After two years’ service with the New South Wales Department of Public Works, Warren initiated the teaching of engineering at the University of Sydney in March 1883. He remained Head of the Department of Engineering until his retirement at the end of 1925.

Warren’s main interest was in materials and structures. He was the author of three editions of a widely used textbook: the first Australia-based publication in this field. He also imported Australia’s first materials testing machine in 1885, the results from which on Australian materials were of national importance.

Whitton, John

English-born engineer who was appointed as Engineer in Chief of New South Wales railways and oversaw an important period of railway construction in the state.

full record »

Williams, Alfred

Engineer who supervised reclamation work on the Cooks River flats in the 1880s.

full record »

Warragamba dam

Sydney's primary water source, located 65km west of Sydney in a narrow gorge on the Warragamba River.

full record »

David Lennox, Superintendent of Bridges c1870

full record »

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[gpo1_13487 / GPO 1 13487]

(Mitchell Library)

Dr JJC Bradfield on 'king pin' under the arch at the Sydney Harbour Bridge February 1931

full record »

By

Harold Cazneaux

By kind permission of the

Cazneaux family

National Library of Australia

[nla.pic-vn3696029]

George Barney, civil engineer, c1860

full record »

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[nla.pic-an23182499]

Gladesville Bridge at the time of its official opening, October 1964

full record »

By

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[d7_17540 / APA 17540]

(Mitchell Library)

Interior of St James' Underground Railway Station, Sydney 1926

full record »

By

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[Building : the magazine for the architect, builder, property owner and merchant, 11 September 1926 Supplement via Trove]

Johnstons Creek Aqueduct, Annandale 2004

full record »

By

Contributed By

Private collection

Norman Selfe, civil engineer c1900

full record »

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

Norman Selfe, probably at his home Gilligaloola, Normanhurst c1900

full record »

Contributed By

Deer family collection

Norman Selfe, probably at his home Gilligaloola, Normanhurst c1900

full record »

Contributed By

Deer family collection

Plan of storm water drainage scheme, Marrickville 1892

full record »

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[SP/M9/132, 129]

(The Building and Engineering Journal 1892)

Portrait of Dr JJC Bradfield 1920s

full record »

By

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[nla.pic-an23278893]

Professor WH Warren 1898

full record »

By

John Hubert Newman

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[ML 524 (detail)]

(from 'The Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science ... members of the Council, 1898')

Reclamation work for the Spit Bridge being carried out at Pearl Bay 27 September 1935

full record »

Contributed By

State Archives & Records New South Wales

[9856_a017_A017000193]

Sketch shewing the neccessity for connecting the East and West sides of Pitt Street by a temporary bridge March-April 1853

full record »

Contributed By

State Archives & Records New South Wales

[NRS-13886-1-[X764]-Volume 6 Part 2-18 Surveyor General Sketch book 6 folio 32]

Swing span building out, Pyrmont Bridge c1900

full record »

Contributed By

State Archives & Records New South Wales

[4481_a026_000897]

View of Sydney Harbour Bridge under construction at night, showing lights on c1931

full record »

From the collections of the

State Library of New South Wales

[V1/Bri/Syd Har/9]

(Mitchell Library)

Engineering disciplines