Isambard Kingdom Brunel to design Brunel Manor and its gardens to be his country home. He never saw the house or gardens finished, as he died before it was completed. Brunel, a heavy smoker, who had been diagnosed with Bright's disease (nephritis), suffered a stroke on 5 September 1859, just before the "Great Eastern" made her first voyage to New York. He died ten days later at the age of 53 and was buried, like his father, in Kensal Green Cemetery in London. He left behind his wife Mary and three children: Isambard Brunel Junior (1837–1902), Henry Marc Brunel (1842–1903) and Florence Mary
Brunel (opera project) landscape of the music. Brunel (opera project) The Brunel opera project is a collaboration between Matthew King (composer), Nye Parry (sound design) and Michael Irwin (libretto) to write a dramatic work based on the life and work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The opera was the subject of a special feature on BBC Radio 4, broadcast in October 2003, and the project has been documented in detail in the book, "The Reflective Conservatoire". The opera remains a work in progress and has yet to be performed in its entirety. In October 2003, the critic, Martin Hoyle, wrote in the Financial Times: