How did a ship worm bankrupt Marc Brunel, nearly kill his celebrated son Isambard and help build the Channel Tunnel?

If you want to get from one side of a river to the other you have three choices: go over, go under or go across. In this series of illustrated talks we will see how Londoners have done all three and in doing so created feats of engineering, iconic landmarks and enduring traditions.

In the second part of the this series we look at the most recent and challenging way of getting to the other side of the river: going under.

In this talk, you'll discover how the trials and tribulations of Marc Brunel and his celebrated son led to a pioneering technology that still forms the basis of tunnelling projects to this day.

Please see individual listings to book tickets for other parts of the series:

Lunchtime Talk / Over, Under, and Across - Part One "Over" (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lunchtime-talk-over-under-and-across-part-one-over-tickets-1997856760351?aff=OUA) / Thursday 22 October

Lunchtime Talk / Over, Under, and Across - Part Two "Under" / Thursday 12 November

Lunchtime Talk / Over, Under, and Across - Part Three "Across" (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lunchtime-talk-over-under-and-across-part-three-across-tickets-1997859764336?aff=OUA) / Thursday 10 December

Hear the Stories - See the Documents: Over, Under, and Across (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hear-the-stories-see-the-documents-over-under-across-tickets-1997860757306?aff=OUA) - Document Viewing - Friday 18 December

About the Speaker

Tom Furber is an Engagement and Learning Officer at The London Archives. He is a historical magpie who enjoys nothing more (in his professional life at least) than delving into the vast collections of The London Archives to bring out its trinkets and treasures to share with our visitors.

Tom is also a doctoral candidate at Royal Holloway, University of London, and a fellow of the London Centre for Public History. His research focuses on inclusive engagement practice in archive settings.

Please note this talk takes place in person only.

More information about The London Archives:

The London Archives is a free public archive focusing on the history of London, from 1067 to the present day. We preserve and share millions of historical manuscripts, maps, photographs, books which tell the story of the city. Everyone is welcome.

You can find us in central London in Clerkenwell, close to Farringdon Station - see our Getting to The London Archives webpage (https://www.thelondonarchives.org/visit-us/getting-here).

Description supplied by the event organiser.