Frederick William Bremer (12 July 1872 in
Stepney
Stepney is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Stepney is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name was applied to ...
, London – 1941 in
Walthamstow
Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...
, England) was a British
gasfitter
Fuel gas is one of a number of fuels that under ordinary conditions are gaseous. Most fuel gases are composed of hydrocarbons (such as methane and propane), hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or mixtures thereof. Such gases are sources of energy that ...
,
plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, hot-water production, sewage and drainage in plumbing systems. ,
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
and
inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
recognised as the man who built the first petrol-fuelled car in Great Britain in 1892.
Bremer car
A gas-fitter and plumber by trade, Frederick is remembered for building (with assistant Tom Bates) the first British four-wheeled motor car with an internal combustion engine in 1892 (claimed in 1912 by the British magazine ''Motor''). In 1894 he took his car on the roads of
Walthamstow
Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...
, his home town.
After completing the car Bremer moved on to other projects including a four-cylinder car in 1894 which has not survived to the present day. Bremer also operated a series of small businesses, including the Bremer Engineering Company, and took out patents, which included one for improved gears for motor carriages.
Frederick married Annie Elizabeth Garner on 22 April 1916, despite the marriage certificate listing him as Frederick Brewer, and his father as Gerberd Brewer.
In 1933 Bremer donated his car to the
Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow, where it can still be seen. In 1964 the Bremer Car was entered into the
London to Brighton Veteran Car Run enlisted as car number 1, but the crankshaft broke after . The next year, again as car number 1, it completed the course in just under eight hours.
Bremer died in 1941 and is buried at St Mary's Church in Walthamstow along with his wife Annie.
Legacy
Frederick Bremer School, a specialist engineering college named after Bremer, opened in September 2008. The school replaced
Warwick School for Boys and
Aveling Park School.
See also
*
John Henry Knight
References
Further reading
*
External links
Frederick Bremer School Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bremer, Frederick
1872 births
1941 deaths
Engineers from London
Gasfitters
British plumbers
People from Stepney