On 23 February 2006, Royal Mail is issuing six stamps celebrating the mastership of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. After working with eminent Brunel historians, we have selected six examples from his incredible portfolio of work, and printed them on the widest format available to Royal Mail. Add these audacious stamps to your collection today.
Celebrate the vision and daring of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's spectacular feats of engineering in the bicentenary year of his birth. Available from 23 February 2006.
By his death the greatest of England's engineers was lost, the man with the greatest originality of thought and power of execution, bold in his plans, but right,” wrote Daniel Gooch of the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was one of the great British engineers of the 19th century (1806-1859) building twenty-five railways lines, over a hundred bridges, including five suspension bridges, eight pier and dock systems, three ships and a pre-fabricated army field hospital.
Royal Mail commemorates his contribution with a collection of items that reveal the remarkable scale of his achievements. Six of Brunel's most famous landmarks are featured including the Royal Albert Bridge which, with its grace and majesty is recognised as one of his most outstanding works.
Others include the almost 2 mile long Box Tunnel and Paddington Station, the London Terminal of Brunel's Great Western Railway line and also the sentimental home of one famous literary bear. Another stamp features the PSS Great Eastern which was a ship designed by Brunel and at the time the largest in history; and the final stamp depicts the Clifton Suspension Bridge - Brunel's first major commission at the young age of 24.
