История инженера Уильяма Тирни Кларка, создавшего знаменитый Марлоу-бридж

If you live in Marlow, there are some things you can probably picture without even trying. The bunting adorning the High Street in the heat of summer. The fog rising off the river on a cool morning. The boats passing through the lock. And, of course, Marlow Bridge. It is such a familiar part of the town that it can be easy to forget just how remarkable it is. The graceful suspension bridge we cross today was built nearly 200 years ago, between 1829 and 1832. Behind it was an engineer whose own journey was every bit as interesting as the structure he left behind. His name was William Tierney Clark. A boy with a thirst for knowledge Clark was born in Bristol on August 23, 1783. His father died when he was young, so he did not have the benefit of a full formal education. What he lacked in opportunity, however, he made up for in determination. As a young man he was apprenticed to a millwright in Bristol. A millwright worked with machinery, giving Clark his first practical grounding in the mechanical world that would eventually become his profession. But Clark was not content simply to learn the job he had been given. He spent his spare time studying science, combining what he learned from books with practical experience. His obituary later described how he was determined to take every opportunity for self-improvement. That habit of learning would remain with him throughout his life. Learning about iron Clark later moved to the Coalbrook Dale Iron Works, where he remained until 1808. The foundry was renowned for producing some of the earliest iron bridges in England, including bridges designed by Thomas Telford and John Jessop. Here Clark gained valuable experience with both cast and wrought iron. This was an important period in engineering. Iron was opening up new possibilities for bridges and other structures, and Clark was learning about the material not simply in theory, but by seeing it made and put to practical use. His abilities soon attracted the attention of John Rennie, who offered him a position at his works in Holland Street, Blackfriars. Working under Rennie gave Clark experience of major engineering projects and brought him into the professional world beyond the foundry. In 1811, Rennie recommended Clark for the position of Engineer to the West Middlesex Waterworks. From water to bridges When Clark took over the waterworks, it was a relatively small operation, with one 20-horsepower pumping engine and a small reservoir. Under his direction it expanded dramatically, eventually having 245 horsepower of engine capacity and reservoirs holding around 40 million gallons. He also worked on canals, including the difficult tunnel between Gravesend and Rochester, successfully overcoming the problems involved. But bridges were where Clark’s talents would really shine. Hammersmith comes first Before Marlow, there was Hammersmith. Clark designed Hammersmith Suspension Bridge, begun in 1824 and completed in 1827. Its span was more than 422 feet, and contemporary engineers particularly admired the care given to its details, including the forging of the chain links, the pins, the platform and the proportions of its piers. Clark wasn’t simply interested in making a bridge that worked. He cared about how all its parts fitted together. That approach would soon be tested in Marlow. A difficult beginning at Marlow The story of our own bridge was not entirely straightforward. The project was initially undertaken by John Millington, who had previously held Clark’s position at the West Middlesex Waterworks. Millington laid the first stone on 22 September 1829, but the work soon ran into difficulties and responsibility eventually passed to Tierney Clark. Clark still had problems to overcome, including difficulties with the iron chains ordered under the previous arrangements. By 1832 he had obtained chains properly adapted to his purpose. The scale of the work is remarkable. The wrought iron links consisted of 220 links, each ten feet long, with the iron weighing more than four tons. It is quite something to imagine that work taking place almost two centuries ago. A bridge for Marlow The suspension bridge was completed in 1832. Clark was responsible for the design, while Samuel Brown was involved in the design of the chains and structure. Messrs Corby and Clifford of Marlow carried out the stonework, and William Hazledine supplied the ironwork. The bridge brought together everything Clark had learned. Practical engineering, his experience with iron, the influence of John Rennie and his own determination to understand how things could be made better. His obituary later described him as a man of refined taste and originality, who paid careful attention to the details of his designs. It also linked this precision to the practical character of his early training. Perhaps that helps explain the particular combination of strength and elegance we see in Marlow Bridge today. A career that reached far beyond Marlow Marlow was only part of Clark’s story. He went on to work on a suspension bridge over the Arun and designed cast-iron bridges at Bath and near Windsor. He also worked on the Gravesend Town Pier, continuing Rennie’s principle of using iron wherever it was practical. His greatest project was the enormous suspension bridge across the Danube, connecting Pesth and Buda in Hungary. Work began in 1839 and the bridge was completed in 1849. The challenges were immense. The depth and speed of the river and the nature of its bed had led many to doubt whether a permanent crossing was possible. There were social and political obstacles too, with Clark writing of the “pride, prejudice, and jealousy” that had to be overcome. The completed bridge was a triumph. Its strength was later tested by ice, bombardment and attempts to destroy it with explosives. The Emperor of Austria presented Clark with a jewelled snuff-box in recognition of his achievement. What shaped the man behind the bridges? It is impossible to know exactly what inspired Clark, but his career gives us some strong clues. He seems to have been driven above all by curiosity and a determination to learn. He began without the advantages of a conventional education, yet taught himself. He learned his trade from the ground up, spent time among the ironworkers at Coalbrook Dale, worked with John Rennie, and tackled waterworks, canals and tunnels before turning increasingly towards bridges. And he never seemed to lose that practical approach. His bridges were not just grand ideas. They were carefully considered structures, built from thousands of individual decisions about materials, proportions, connections and strength. Perhaps that is what makes Marlow Bridge such a fitting reminder of him. A lasting legacy Clark died on 22 September 1852, aged 69. He was greatly respected by his fellow engineers and deeply missed by his friends. For us in Marlow, though, we don’t need to travel to Hungary to see his work. We simply have to cross the river. Every time we walk beneath those towers or pause to look along the chains, we are looking at the work of a man who began as a young apprentice in Bristol and taught himself through determination and curiosity. He could hardly have known, when he first began learning about machinery and iron, that one day a bridge of his own would become part of the character of a small Thames town. Yet nearly two hundred years later, Marlow Bridge is still here. And perhaps that is the nicest way to remember William Tierney Clark. Not just as a pioneering engineer, but as a man who kept learning, kept solving problems and ultimately created something beautiful enough to become part of the landscape we call home. Discover more of Marlow’s history The story of William Tierney Clark is just one of the many fascinating stories that can be found in Marlow’s past. The Marlow Museum is a wonderful place to discover more about the people, buildings, businesses and events that have helped shape the town we know today. From photographs and documents to objects that tell the stories of everyday life, the museum offers a chance to look at familiar places and see them in a completely different way. Whether you have lived in Marlow all your life or are newer to the town, there is always another story waiting to be discovered. Visit us this summer at our pop up location at All Saints Church Hall on the Causeway. With thanks to the Marlow Local History Group for sharing their research and information for this article, and for helping to bring Marlow’s fascinating history to a wider audience.