Published Resources Details
Conference Paper
- Title
- Three New Zealand Engineers in Colonial Victoria - Brees, Holmes, and Richardson
- In
- Fourth Australasian Conference on Engineering Heritage, Christchurch, 2014
- Imprint
- Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, Wellington, NZ, 2014, pp. 113-134
- ISBN/ISSN
- 978-0-908960-64-4
- Url
- https://www.engineeringnz.org/documents/1275/Proceedings_of_the_Fourth_Australasian_Conference_on_Engineering_Heritage_Chri_FP8ZEMh.pdf
- Abstract
In early 1853 in Victoria, Australia, three engineers: Samuel Charles Brees (1810-1865), George Holmes (circa 1822-1877) and Edward Richardson (circa 1831-1915) came together in the design and construction of "Brees Bridge," a large Howe through-truss timber road bridge over the Maribyrnong River at Keilor. These engineers are well known in New Zealand: Brees as engineer/surveyor/artist for the New Zealand Company
1842-1845 and Holmes and Richardson as the contractors for the very significant Christchurch to Lyttelton Railway line and tunnel, 1861-1867. But their engineering work in Victoria is not well known. In 1853, Brees was briefly the first Colonial Engineer, and between 1853 and 1861, Holmes and Richardson were the contractors for many significant engineering works in Victoria: the first large laminated timber arch bridge (Johnston Street); the first large iron box girder railway bridge (Maribyrnong River); and other works (Yarra River Wharves, South Yarra Waterworks, Essendon Railway, and Brighton Railway). This paper explores the interrelationships between these engineers and their contemporaries, describes their significant engineering
works, and fills some biographical gaps about their lives in Victoria.
Related Published resources
isPartOf
- Proceedings of the 4th Australasian Engineering Heritage Conference. Engineering, Heritage and Nature: Finding the Right Balance. 24-26 Nov 2014, Christchurch, New Zealand (Wellington, NZ: Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, 2014), 158 pp, https://www.engineeringnz.org/documents/1275/Proceedings_of_the_Fourth_Australasian_Conference_on_Engineering_Heritage_Chri_FP8ZEMh.pdf. Details