Isambard Kingdom Brunel is said by many to be the greatest engineer in the world. He was born in Portsmouth England on the 9th of April 1806 to an English mother Sophia Kingdom, and a French father Marc Isambard Brunel. He grew up at home where his father was an accomplished engineer and in 1825 was appointed the task of building a tunnel under the river Thames in London. Marc’s health was not good so he appointed his son aged 20 to continue the project, this was the start of Isambard Kingdom Brunel life in engineering. He went on to build Railways, Bridges and Viaducts and even Steamships right acroos the country. Here in Norwood Green we have the Windmill Bridge (The three Bridges) at the eastern end of Tentelow Lane where the road goes over the canal which in turn goes over the railway, and just up the Uxbridge Road in Hanwell we have The Wharncliffe Viaduct opposite Ealing Hospital.

During construction of the Great Western Railway Isambard Kingdom Brunel lived in a house called The Cedars in Cranford which was demolished in 1945 and new houses were built on the site by 1990 and the road is called Brunel Close.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel had suffered from ill health and died on the 15th of September 1859 aged 53