Joseph Cubitt (24 November 1811 – 7 December 1872) was an English
civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...
. Amongst other projects, he designed the
Blackfriars Railway Bridge over the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
in London.
Early life
Cubitt was born in
Horning, Norfolk, on 24 November 1811. He was the son of Sir
William Cubitt
Sir William Cubitt FRS (bapt. 9 October 1785 – 13 October 1861) was an English civil engineer and millwright. Born in Norfolk, England, he was employed in many of the great engineering undertakings of his time. He invented a type of windmil ...
and Abigail Sparkhall (1785–1813). After his mother's death, his father married Elizabeth Jane Tiley in 1820. From his father's second marriage, he had a younger half-brother, William, born 1830.
He was educated at
Bruce Castle School in
Tottenham
Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...
. He was trained for the profession of civil engineer by his father.
Career
Cubitt constructed a great part of the
London and South-Western Railway, the whole of the
Great Northern Railway, the
London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, the
Rhymney Railway
The Rhymney Railway (RR) was a railway company in South Wales, founded to transport minerals and materials to and from Colliery, collieries and ironworks in the Rhymney Valley of South Wales, and to docks in Cardiff. It opened a main line in 18 ...
, the
Oswestry and Newtown Railway
The Oswestry and Newtown Railway (O&NR) was a British railway company that built a line between Oswestry in Shropshire and Newtown, Powys, Newtown Montgomeryshire, now Powys. The line opened in stages in 1860 and 1861. It was conceived to open up ...
, and the
Colne Valley Railway.
[ He was appointed engineer to the Oswestry & Newtown Railway on 3 October 1856.
Cubitt was responsible for Weymouth Pier, the extension of the north pier and other works of ]Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
haven, and the new Blackfriars Bridge. He was a member of the Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
, and for many years vice-president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a Charitable organization, charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters ar ...
. He was also a lieutenant-colonel of the Engineer and Railway Staff volunteers.[
]
Personal life
Cubitt died on 7 December 1872 in St George Hanover Square
St George Hanover Square was a Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish accompanied the building of the St George's, Hanover Square, Church of St George's, Hanover Square, ...
, London.
Ancestry
See also
* Herne Hill railway station
References
Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cubitt, Joseph
1811 births
1872 deaths
British railway civil engineers
British bridge engineers
People of the Industrial Revolution