George Stephenson (1781–1848)

Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

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Stephenson, the inventor and founder of railways, was a practical engineer without formal education who became interested in developing more efficient rails and locomotives. In 1814, he tested his first 'steam-blast' locomotive which drew thirty tonnes of coal at four miles an hour. After his pioneering work on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825, he won the contract for the Manchester and Liverpool Line in 1826. The success of both lines was increased by the newly designed Rocket in 1829, an engine which travelled at 29 miles per hour. The building of these two lines prompted immense business speculation and an expansion of the railway system which transformed the British countryside and economy.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

Title

George Stephenson (1781–1848)

Date

1846

Medium

marble

Measurements

H 75.2 x W (?) x D (?) cm

Accession number

261

Acquisition method

purchased, 1868

Work type

Bust

Inscription description

incised and dated

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